that Hayward was suitable for parole. Hayward appeals the district court's denial of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

I
On December 15, 1978, Hayward, with other members of the Vagos motorcycle gang, traveled to the Buccaneer Bar in Sierra Madre, California. There, he confronted a man who, according to conflicting accounts, had either slapped or battered and attempted to rape Hayward's girlfriend (who would later become Hayward's wife). The confrontation turned physical and ended after Hayward stabbed the man twelve times, killing him. In 1980, a California jury convicted Hayward of second degree murder, and the court sentenced Hayward to state prison for a term of fifteen years to life.
Hayward has spent the last twenty-seven years in prison. He is now sixty-four years old. He retired fromthe Vagos motorcycle gang in 1981. In the twenty-seven years Hayward has spent in prison, he has completed substantial vocational training in the fields of plumbing, mechanics, welding, meat cutting, and shoe repair. Hayward obtained a GED in 1981 and has developed typing and computer skills through job assignments in prison. For the last twenty years, Hayward has led prison tours for university students studying criminal justice. He has not had a major disciplinary violation in prison since 1989, and his last minor disciplinary infraction was in 1997.
Hayward initially denied responsibility for the murder that led to his imprisonment, claiming that he was at the scene, but that two of his friends had stabbed and killed the victim. However, during a parole hearing in 1993, Hayward admitted that