Jury instructions

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Jury instructions are the set of legal rules that jurors must follow when the jury is deciding a civil or criminal case. Jury instructions are given to the jury by the judge, who usually reads them aloud to the jury. They are often the subject of discussion by attorneys on both sides in the case and the judge in order to make sure their interests are represented and nothing prejudicial is said.

Many jurisdictions have a basic set of instructions that provides the framework for the charge to the jury; sometimes, only names and circumstances have to be filled in for a particular case. Often they are much more complex, although certain elements frequently recur. For instance, if a criminal defendant chooses not to testify, the jury will be instructed not to draw any conclusions from that decision.

[edit] France

According to the French Code of Penal Procedure, all jurors must individually swear to the following message from the judge presiding the court:

You swear and promise to examine with the most scrupulous attention the charges who will be laid against [the defendant]; to betray neither the interests of the defendant, nor the interests of the society that accuses him, nor the interests of the victim; not to communicate with anybody until you [declare your verdict]; not to listen to hatred, malice, fear or affection; to remember that the defendant is presumed to be innocent and that doubt must benefit him; to decide for yourself according to the charges and the means of defense, according to your conscience and intimate conviction, with the impartiality and firmness that befit an honest and free person, and to keep the secret of the deliberations, even after you cease to be a juror.

Original version:

Vous jurez et promettez d'examiner avec l'attention la plus scrupuleuse les charges qui seront portées contre X, de ne trahir ni les intérêts de l'accusé, ni ceux de la société qui l'accuse, ni ceux de la victime ; de ne communiquer avec personne jusqu'après votre déclaration ; de n'écouter ni la haine ou la méchanceté, ni la crainte ou l'affection ; de vous rappeler que l'accusé est présumé innocent et que le doute doit lui profiter ; de vous décider d'après les charges et les moyens de défense, suivant votre conscience et votre intime conviction, avec l'impartialité et la fermeté qui conviennent à un homme probe et libre, et de conserver le secret des délibérations, même après la cessation de vos fonctions.