Opinion ID: 1152592
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Viewing San Quentin.

Text: (42) Before the penalty trial began, defendant moved to have the jury view the facilities at San Quentin prison, either in person or by film, including the gas chamber, death row and the cells where prisoners serving life terms are housed. The trial court denied the motion, regarding the method of incarceration or execution to be irrelevant under Woodson v. North Carolina, supra, 428 U.S. 280, 304 [49 L.Ed.2d 944, 961]. Defendant argues the prosecutor opened the door to such evidence by arguing defendant would not be adequately punished by imprisonment. This argument had not been made when the trial court ruled on the motion, and defendant did not renew the motion to view San Quentin after the prosecutor's argument. Accordingly, he can not charge the court with an abuse of discretion for failing to protect his right to fair rebuttal. In any event, the prosecutor did not argue that the particulars of confinement at San Quentin prison made it an inadequate punishment for defendant, but that defendant was so coarsened and brutal that he would not be disturbed or adequately punished by incarceration. Accordingly, defendant's claim that he was entitled to have the jury view San Quentin as a matter of fair rebuttal must fail. Defendant concedes we have consistently held evidence regarding the facilities on death row and the manner of carrying out the death penalty to be irrelevant to our capital sentencing scheme. (See, e.g., People v. Fudge, supra, 7 Cal.4th at pp. 1123-1124 and cases cited; People v. Daniels (1991) 52 Cal.3d 815, 877-878 [277 Cal. Rptr. 122, 802 P.2d 906]; People v. Harris (1981) 28 Cal.3d 935, 962 [171 Cal. Rptr. 679, 623 P.2d 240].) He argues we have been consistently wrong. We decline to revisit the issue.