hill lockhart argued october decided november pursuant agreement petitioner pleaded guilty arkansas charges murder theft property accepted plea sentencing accordance state recommendations concurrent sentences years murder years theft petitioner later filed federal habeas corpus petition alleging inter alia guilty plea involuntary reason ineffective assistance counsel attorney misinformed pleaded guilty become eligible parole serving prison sentence whereas arkansas law petitioner second offender required serve sentence becoming eligible parole district denied habeas relief without hearing appeals affirmed held district err declining hold hearing petitioner claim pp defendant enters guilty plea upon counsel advice voluntariness plea depends whether advice within range competence demanded attorneys criminal cases standard adopted strickland washington evaluating claims ineffective assistance counsel requiring defendant show counsel representation fell objective standard reasonableness reasonable probability counsel unprofessional errors result proceeding different applies guilty plea challenges based ineffective assistance counsel order satisfy second prejudice requirement defendant must show reasonable probability counsel errors pleaded guilty insisted going trial pp present case unnecessary determine whether may circumstances erroneous advice counsel parole eligibility may deemed constitutionally ineffective assistance counsel petitioner allegations insufficient satisfy prejudice requirement allege habeas petition counsel correctly informed parole eligibility date pleaded guilty insisted going trial allege special circumstances might support conclusion placed particular emphasis parole eligibility deciding whether plead guilty rehnquist delivered opinion burger brennan marshall blackmun powell joined white filed opinion concurring judgment stevens joined post jack lassiter appointment argued cause filed brief petitioner john steven clark attorney general arkansas argued cause respondent brief alice ann burns deputy attorney general justice rehnquist delivered opinion petitioner william lloyd hill pleaded guilty arkansas trial charges murder theft property two years later sought federal habeas relief ground attorney failed advise second offender required serve sentence becoming eligible parole district eastern district arkansas denied relief without hearing en banc appeals eighth circuit affirmed equally divided granted certiorari difference result reached present case reached appeals fourth circuit strader garrison affirm judgment appeals eighth circuit conclude petitioner failed allege kind prejudice allegedly incompetent advice counsel entitled hearing arkansas law murder charge petitioner pleaded guilty carried potential sentence years life prison along fine ark stat ann petitioner attorney negotiated plea agreement pursuant state return petitioner plea guilty murder theft charges agreed recommend trial judge impose concurrent prison sentences years murder years theft petitioner signed written plea statement indicating understood charges consequences pleading guilty plea induced force threat promise apart plea agreement realized trial judge bound plea agreement retained sole power sentence discussed plea agreement attorney satisfied attorney advice last two lines plea statement petitioner signature read aware everything document fully understand rights voluntarily plead guilty guilty charged petitioner appeared trial judge plea hearing recounted events gave rise charges affirmed signed understood written plea statement reiterated threats promises made plea agreement entered plea guilty charges trial judge accepted guilty plea sentenced petitioner accordance state recommendations trial judge also granted petitioner credit time already served prison told petitioner ou required serve least time eligible parole two years later petitioner filed federal habeas corpus petition alleging inter alia guilty plea involuntary reason ineffective assistance counsel attorney misinformed parole eligibility date according petitioner attorney told pleaded guilty become eligible parole serving prison sentence fact petitioner previously convicted felony florida classified arkansas law second offender required serve sentence becoming eligible parole ark stat ann petitioner asked district eastern district arkansas reduce sentence term years result becoming eligible parole conformance original expectations district denied habeas relief without hearing noted neither arkansas federal law required petitioner informed parole eligibility date prior pleading guilty concluded even petitioner misled attorney advice parole eligibility consequence petitioner guilty plea misinformation renders plea involuntary also held even attorney advice concerning eligibility wholly accurate advice render attorney performance constitutionally inadequate divided panel appeals eighth circuit affirmed holding parole eligibility collateral rather direct consequence guilty plea defendant need informed district err declining hold hearing petitioner claims one judge dissented arguing hearing held determine whether attorney alleged mistake informing petitioner applicable law constituted ineffective assistance counsel warranted vacating guilty plea heaney dissenting rehearing en banc appeals affirmed judgment district equally divided longstanding test determining validity guilty plea whether plea represents voluntary intelligent choice among alternative courses action open defendant north carolina alford see boykin alabama machibroda petitioner contend plea involuntary unintelligent simply state officials failed supply information parole eligibility date never held constitution requires state furnish defendant information parole eligibility order defendant plea guilty voluntary indeed constitutional requirement inconsistent current rules procedure governing entry guilty pleas federal courts see fed rule crim proc advisory committee notes amendment fed rule crim proc federal courts generally required inform defendant parole eligibility accepting guilty plea instead petitioner relies entirely claim plea involuntary result ineffective assistance counsel attorney supplied information parole eligibility erroneous defendant represented counsel plea process enters plea depends whether counsel advice within range competence demanded attorneys criminal cases mcmann richardson explained tollett henderson defendant pleads guilty upon advice counsel may attack voluntary intelligent character guilty plea showing advice received counsel within standards set forth mcmann concern mcmann richardson quality counsel performance advising defendant whether plead guilty stemmed general principle defendants facing felony charges entitled effective assistance competent counsel see reece georgia powell alabama two terms ago strickland washington adopted standard evaluating claims ineffective assistance counsel citing mcmann reiterated hen convicted defendant complains ineffectiveness counsel assistance defendant must show counsel representation fell objective standard reasonableness also held however defendant must show reasonable probability counsel unprofessional errors result proceeding different additional prejudice requirement based conclusion error counsel even professionally unreasonable warrant setting aside judgment criminal proceeding error effect judgment although decision strickland washington dealt claim ineffective assistance counsel capital sentencing proceeding premised part similarity proceeding usual criminal trial standard seems us applicable claims arising plea process certainly justifications imposing prejudice requirement strickland washington also relevant context guilty pleas government responsible hence able prevent attorney errors result reversal conviction sentence attorney errors come infinite variety likely utterly harmless particular case prejudicial classified according likelihood causing prejudice defined sufficient precision inform defense attorneys correctly conduct avoid representation art act omission unprofessional one case may sound even brilliant another even defendant shows particular errors counsel unreasonable therefore defendant must show actually adverse effect defense every inroad concept finality undermines confidence integrity procedures increasing volume judicial work inevitably delays impairs orderly administration justice impact greatest new grounds setting aside guilty pleas approved vast majority criminal convictions result pleas moreover concern unfair procedures may resulted conviction innocent defendant rarely raised petition set aside guilty plea quoting smith stevens dissenting many guilty plea cases prejudice inquiry closely resemble inquiry engaged courts reviewing challenges convictions obtained trial example alleged error counsel failure investigate discover potentially exculpatory evidence determination whether error prejudiced defendant causing plead guilty rather go trial depend likelihood discovery evidence led counsel change recommendation plea assessment turn depend large part prediction whether evidence likely changed outcome trial similarly alleged error counsel failure advise defendant potential affirmative defense crime charged resolution prejudice inquiry depend largely whether affirmative defense likely succeeded trial see evans meyer inconceivable us defendant gone trial defense intoxication done either acquitted convicted nevertheless given shorter sentence actually received explained strickland washington supra predictions outcome possible trial necessary made objectively without regard idiosyncrasies particular decisionmaker present case claimed error counsel erroneous advice eligibility parole sentence agreed plea bargain app find unnecessary determine whether may circumstances erroneous advice counsel parole eligibility may deemed constitutionally ineffective assistance counsel present case conclude petitioner allegations insufficient satisfy strickland washington requirement prejudice petitioner allege habeas petition counsel correctly informed parole eligibility date pleaded guilty insisted going trial alleged special circumstances might support conclusion placed particular emphasis parole eligibility deciding whether plead guilty indeed petitioner mistaken belief become eligible parole serving sentence seem affected calculation time likely serve sentenced pursuant proposed plea agreement also calculation time likely serve went trial convicted petitioner case failed allege kind prejudice necessary satisfy second half strickland washington test district err declining hold hearing petitioner ineffective assistance counsel claim judgment appeals therefore affirmed several courts appeals adopted general approach see thomas lockhart accord gavilan beans black mitchell scully evans meyer justice white justice stevens joins concurring judgment question properly whether petitioner entitled evidentiary hearing federal habeas proceeding alleged guilty plea entered state involuntary resulted ineffective assistance counsel write separately state particular facts case petitioner entitled evidentiary hearing habeas claim ineffective assistance counsel necessary view focus plea statement signed petitioner statement standardized form completed defense counsel consultation client submitted consideration form calls insertion specific information appropriate spaces among items included crime defendant charged whether crime felony misdemeanor maximum sentence fine defendant receive found guilty offense also blank space indicate number prior convictions defendant suffered app majority indicates petitioner signed written plea statement indicating understood charges consequences pleading guilty aware everything document ante app space provided disclosing number prior convictions petitioner form reads ibid although unclear whether petitioner counsel filled form inserted number allegation petitioner told attorney previous florida felony conviction indeed incredible attorney filled known prior conviction petitioner thus factual basis suggesting attorney advice incompetent affirmatively misled counsel earliest possible parole eligibility date without allegation attorney knew petitioner prior conviction failed inform applicability arkansas second offender statute reason provide petitioner evidentiary hearing claim ineffective assistance counsel none allegations proved entitle petitioner relief nothing record indicate defense counsel representation fell objective standard reasonableness strickland washington see also mcmann richardson misinformation plea statement petitioner attorney known prior conviction still informed petitioner eligible parole serving sentence petitioner entitled evidentiary hearing opportunity prove counsel failure advise effect ark stat ann amounted ineffective assistance counsel failure attorney inform client relevant law clearly satisfies first prong strickland analysis adopted majority omission said fall within wide range professionally competent assistance demanded sixth amendment strickland washington supra moreover examination record reveals petitioner alleged sufficient facts show reasonable probability counsel errors pleaded guilty insisted going trial ante first two paragraphs habeas petition petitioner alleged pertinent part follows agreed plead guilty understanding get yrs degree murder years concurrent theft property sentence less good time lawyer told plea negotiation binding sides impose sentence agreed prosecutor know deviate concessions agreed without informing say minimum enstead sic parole app petitioner first two arguments restated allege guilty plea involuntary counsel improperly advised earliest possible parole eligibility date result incorrect advice petitioner fully understand consequences plea petitioner contends counsel erroneous advice concerning potential parole eligibility date critical factor decision enter guilty plea important consequence plea understand petitioner contention entered negotiated plea attorney correctly advised required serve sentence less good time arkansas law