Cite as: 532 U. S. 36 (2001)
Opinion of the Court
defendants sentenced to life imprisonment. See supra, at 46-47, n. 3, and 48.
Most plainly contradicting the State's contention, Shafer's jury left no doubt about its failure to gain from defense counsel's closing argument or the judge's instructions any clear understanding of what a life sentence means. The jurors sought further instruction, asking: "Is there any remote chance for someone convicted of murder to become elig[i]ble for parole?" App. 253; cf. Simmons, 512 U. S., at 178 (O'Connor, J.) ("that the jury in this case felt compelled to ask whether parole was available shows that the jurors did not know whether or not a life-sentenced defendant will be released from prison").6
The jury's comprehension was hardly aided by the court's final instruction: "Parole eligibility or ineligibility is not for your consideration." App. 240. That instruction did nothing to ensure that the jury was not misled and may well have been taken to mean "that parole was available but that the jury, for some unstated reason, should be blind to this fact." Simmons, 512 U. S., at 170 (plurality opinion); see 340 S. C., at 310, 531 S. E. 2d, at 534 (Finney, C. J., dissenting) ("[T]he jury's inquiry prompted a misleading response which suggested parole was a possibility."); State v. Kelly, 343 S. C. 342, 375, 540 S. E. 2d 851, 863-864 (2001) (Pleicones, J., dissenting in part, concurring in part) ("Without the knowledge that, if aggravators are found, a life sentence is not subject to being reduced by parole, or any other method of early release, the jury is likely to speculate unnecessarily on the possibility of early release, and impose a sentence of death
6 Animating Justice Thomas' dissent is the conviction that the limited information defense counsel was allowed to convey and the judge's charge "left no room for speculation by the jury." Post, at 57. The full record scarcely supports, and we do not share, that conviction. Cf. 340 S. C. 291, 310-311, 531 S. E. 2d 524, 534 (2000) (Finney, C. J., dissenting) ("the jury's inquiry prompted a misleading response" that did not reveal the "simpl[e] truth").
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