Jury Instructions

Under the Fifth Amendment, you can refuse to testify to self-incriminating evidence.So, if you've been subpoenaed and do not want to testify, consult with a experienced criminal defense attorney to see if any of these privileges apply to you, or you could face jail time if you don't show up.

You are a defendant in a criminal case As an extension of the Fifth Amendment, any criminal defendant cannot be forced to testify in a courtroom.You are not competent Some witnesses are not able to provide a testimony because of their age, a health condition, or the inability to recall events truthfully.

The person testifying is the defendant in a criminal case: This is an extension of the protection under the Fifth Amendment. Criminal defendants can never be forced to testify.

The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that a defendant cannot "be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself." In short, the defendant cannot be forced to speak.

According to the Supreme Court, the jury-trial right applies only when serious offenses are at handpetty offenses don't invoke it. For purposes of this right, a serious offense is one that carries a potential sentence of more than six months' imprisonment. (Baldwin v. New York, 399 U.S. 66 (1970).)

The instructions that the judge gives the jurors are to convict the boy but also make sure that there isn't any reasonable doubt. If there is any kind of reasonable doubt, then he is not guilty. All twelve jurors must vote guilty for him to be convicted.

A criminal defendant has the right to testify or not to testify in any criminal case. If a defendant chooses not to testify, that fact cannot be held against the defendant, and cannot be used to infer guilt.

If there is a reasonable doubt in your mind as to the guilt of the accused.... then you must declare him not guilty. If however, there is no reasonable doubt, then he must be found guilty. Whichever way you decide, the verdict must be unanimous. I urge you to deliberate honestly and thoughtfully.

In addition, contested evidence is likely to become salient to jurors, and the judge's subsequent instruction to disregard the information may produce what researchers refer to as a white bear effectan inability to not think of the white bear once the thought is forbidden.