Source of article ComCon - Communication Consulting.

Reasonable doubt instructions are the cornerstone of decision-making in criminal cases, and possibly the most important instruction provided to jurors. Ellsworth (1989) found that jurors were very clear on the notion that they had to be convinced “beyond a reasonable doubt” but, at the same time, none of the jurors were able to define what reasonable doubt meant. Kramer and Koening (1990) compared reasonable doubt understanding for jurors who had served jury duty and those who had been called but had never served…