Opinion ID: 1202382
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 21

Heading: Deterrent Effect of Death Penalty, Costs of Life Without Possibility of Parole

Text: (26) Defendant next discusses failure to give his proposed instruction No. 39 which read: In deciding whether death or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole is the appropriate sentence you may not consider for any reason whatsoever the deterrent or nondeterrent effect of the death penalty or the monetary cost to the state of execution or maintaining a prisoner for life. Actually, the prosecutor had not objected to the proposed instruction and the court seemed to agree that it should be given. The form on which it appears shows a checkmark indicating it was to be read to the jury. Nevertheless, the reporter's transcript indicates this was not done, and the proposed instruction is included in the clerk's transcript among instructions requested and refused. We assume that it was omitted by mere oversight. We have held that neither evidence nor argument should be presented on the deterrent nature of punishment at the penalty phase. ( People v. Ghent, supra, 43 Cal.3d at p. 770; People v. Purvis, supra, 60 Cal.2d at p. 341; People v. Ketchel (1963) 59 Cal.2d 503, 536 [30 Cal. Rptr. 538, 381 P.2d 394]; People v. Love (1961) 56 Cal.2d 720, 731 [16 Cal. Rptr. 777, 366 P.2d 33].) Questions of deterrence or cost in carrying out a capital sentence are for the Legislature, not for the jury considering a particular case. ( Spaziano v. Florida (1984) 468 U.S. 447, 461-462 [82 L.Ed.2d 340, 353-354, 104 S.Ct. 3154].) Although it would not have been error to give this requested instruction to forestall consideration of deterrence or cost, we conclude that its omission was not prejudicial. These considerations were not dwelt on at trial or focused on in argument. At most this instruction would have avoided speculation on the subject, a speculation made unlikely by the instructions and arguments of counsel which focused upon other factors such as sympathy on the one hand or the horrendous nature of the crime on the other.