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After the judge gives you your instructions and you hear the attorneys' closing arguments, you leave the courtroom and go to the jury room to begin your deliberations. "Deliberation" is the process the jury uses to reach its verdict. During deliberations, the jury will discuss evidence and review law and facts.
The first thing you should do is select one member of the jury to act as the foreperson. The foreperson presides over the deliberations, seeing that everyone has an opportunity to participate and that the discussions remain orderly. The person chosen to preside takes part in deliberations and votes on the verdict along with everyone else.
No. But if you have any questions or need any help, the bailiff will be nearby.
Each juror may have a different opinion at the start of deliberations. To reach a unanimous decision, some jurors may have to change their opinion.
After a full discussion of the issues, the jury should be able to reach a decision that each juror can agree to with a clear conscience.
Yes. Every juror must agree on the verdict. This is known as a unanimous verdict.
The person chosen to preside will write down the jury's verdict on a form prepared by the judge, sign it, and notify the bailiff that a verdict has been reached. The bailiff will notify the judge, who will call everyone including the jury back to the courtroom. The clerk will ask for the jury's verdict and read it out loud.