CR03-011 11/22/19

JURY DELIBERATIONS

Your verdict must represent the considered judgment of each juror. In order to return a verdict of guilty or not guilty, you must all agree. Your verdict must be unanimous.[*]

You must consult with one another. You must try to reach an agreement if you can do so without sacrificing your individual judgment. Each of you must decide the case for yourself, but do so only after an impartial consideration of the evidence with your fellow jurors. Do not hesitate to re-examine your views and change your opinion if you are convinced it is wrong. But do not surrender your honest opinion as to the weight or effect of evidence solely because of the opinions of your fellow jurors, or for the mere purpose of returning a verdict.

If you need to communicate with me, you should send a note through the Court Officer, signed by your foreperson. You should not tell anyone how the jury stands numerically or otherwise until after you have reached a unanimous verdict and you have been discharged. Even then you need not speak to anyone about this case unless you want to.

When you have reached a verdict, tell the Court Officer that you have reached a verdict, but do not tell the Officer what the verdict is. You will then be brought into the courtroom where I shall ask you if you have reached a verdict, and, if you have, what it is.

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[*] This is a general unanimity instruction. For an example of a specific unanimity instruction, see CR04-081 and the accompanying Reporter’s Note.