Add Amount Field Legal Jury Instructions Templates For Free

Jury duty. Serving on a jury is one way a citizen can carry out his or her role. A jury is a group of citizens who try an accused charged with a criminal offence. In Canada, a criminal law jury is made up of 12 jurors selected from among citizens of the province or territory in which the court is located.

For jury instructions to be effective, they must be clear and simple. Sentences should be short; instruc- • tions should contain no more than a few sentences, cover only one topic, and be directly related to the circumstances of the case (they should not be abstract statements of the law).

A party who objects to an instruction or the failure to give an instruction must do so on the record, stating distinctly the matter objected to and the grounds for the objection.

Jurors, you have the most important role in this trial, because you are the ones who must decide who and what to believe, and answer each of the questions that I have discussed with you. You must decide this case based only on the evidence presented at the trial. You may not decide this case based on anything else.

Either before or after the closing arguments by the lawyers, the judge will explain the law that applies to the case to you. This is the judge's instruction to the jury. You have to apply that law to the facts, as you have heard them, in arriving at your verdict.

The Jury Central Summoning Bureau will send you a letter to confirm details of your jury service, including when and where it will take place. If you asked to change the date or to be excused, the letter will explain if your request was accepted.

Who is disqualified due to a conviction or pending criminal case. You'll be disqualified from serving on a jury if at least one of the following has happened in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man: you've been sentenced to imprisonment for life or for five years or more.

Excuse from Jury Service Has a physical or mental disability that would prevent him/her from serving. Must provide actual and necessary care for another and alternate arrangements are not feasible. Is unable to read or understand the English language. Over 75 years of age.

Ask to be excused from jury service You'll only be allowed to do this in exceptional circumstances, for example: you have a serious illness or disability that prevents you from doing jury service. you're a full time carer of someone with an illness or disability.