ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the result of research aimed at improving juror's understanding of several key criminal jury instructions. The instructions on which the authors focused describe the concepts of reasonable doubt, criminal intent, and the limited use of evidence of prior convictions. Based on their earlier work with college students, they anticipated that regardless of whether or not jurors deliberated, the revised instructions would enhance comprehension relative to the pattern instructions. The chapter focuses on the revised language of the pattern instructions is appropriate for use in actual court cases and will preserve legal accuracy while also enhancing communication with jurors. More broadly, the results suggest that lawyers and judges need not despair that juries sometimes seem ill equipped to understand and apply the law. The chapter describes that the simplified language and organized presentations of legal concepts can effectively help jurors, particularly when coupled with the opportunity to discuss and deliberate.
