They are an important procedural step in a trial by jury, and as such are a cornerstone of criminal process in many common law countries.
The purpose of instructions are to inform the jury about the legal principles and standards that they must apply in order to reach a verdict.
However, judges often modify these standard instructions to fit the unique circumstances and legal issues present in each case.
If the appellate court finds an error in the instructions process, it may, if sufficiently problematic, reverse a decision or order a new trial.
The purpose of jury instructions is to inform jurors of relevant laws and their application in the process of coming to a verdict.
[2] Various linguistic features of legalese or legal English, such as complex sentence structures and technical jargon, have been pinpointed as major factors contributing to low comprehension.
[2] Simplifying jury instructions through the use of plain English has been shown to markedly increase juror comprehension.
[2] In one study of California’s jury instructions in cases involving the death penalty, approximately 200 university students participated in a research experiment.
The group that received revised instructions demonstrated stronger understanding of relevant points such as key concepts, and the ability to differentiate between legal terms.
For instance, if a criminal defendant chooses not to testify, the jury will often be instructed not to draw any negative conclusions from that decision.
Many jurisdictions are now instructing jurors not to communicate about the case through social networking services like Facebook and Twitter.