Overview

The Pennsylvania Suggested Standard Criminal Jury Instructions, a trusted resource for drafting jury instructions, has been updated with its 4th Edition. This essential guide includes over 500 instructions aligned with the Crimes Code, ensuring accuracy and clarity for both bench and bar. This edition includes 8 new instructions and over 25 revised instructions.

Professor Steven L. Chanenson, chair of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Suggested Standard Criminal Jury Instructions Subcommittee, describes the instructions as "a foundational area of law that continues to evolve." The committee—comprising trial court judges, prosecutors, and defense counsel—ensures the instructions reflect the most current statutory and case law developments.

The instructions are available in a convenient digital format. This digital offering provides several key benefits including portability, instant access, and easy navigation to ensure you always have the most current instructions at your fingertips, no matter where you are. Additionally, the ability to search and annotate content allows for greater efficiency and productivity both in and out of the courtroom.

4th Edition Highlights Include:

• New Instructions Added:
  • Single Witness Testimony
  • Disregard the Portrayal of the Legal System in the Entertainment Industry
  • Informant Testimony
  • Institutional Sexual Assault of a Person by a Peace Officer or by a Caretaker
  • Financial Exploitation of an Older Adult or Care-Dependent Person
  • Driving while Operating Privilege is Suspended or Revoked
  • False Statements to Obtain Public Assistance
  • Removing Flags from Veterans' Graves
• Revised Instructions:
  • Certain Testimony Subject to Special Scrutiny
  • Conflicting Testimony
  • Conviction Based on Victim's Uncorroborated Testimony in Sexual Offenses - General
  • Presumption of Innocence - Burden of Proof - Reasonable Doubt
  • Number of Witnesses
  • Liability for Conduct of Another Person or Persons
  • Accomplice
  • Use of Force/Deadly Force in Self-defense
  • Voluntary Manslaughter - Murder in Issue
  • Drug Delivery Resulting in Death
  • Stalking
  • Trafficking in Individuals
  • Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse by Forcible Compulsion or by Threat of Forcible Compulsion
  • Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with an Unconscious, Unaware, or Mentally Disabled Person
  • Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse by Causing Impairment
  • Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with a Child over 12 and under 16
  • Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with a Child
  • Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with a Child Causing Serious Bodily Injury
  • Institutional Sexual Assault of a Person by a Peace Officer
  • Institutional Sexual Assault of a Person by a Caretaker
  • Failure to Prevent Catastrophe
  • Burglary
  • Hit and Run - Resulting in Damage to Vehicle or Property
  • Operating a Watercraft Under the Influence of Alcohol or a Controlled Substance - General Impairment - Incapable of Safe Operation
  • Operating a Watercraft Under the Influence of Alcohol or a Controlled Substance - Consolidated Blood Alcohol Count
  • Operating a Watercraft Under the Influence of Alcohol or a Controlled Substance - Controlled Substances
  • Operating a Watercraft Under the Influence of Alcohol or a Controlled Substance - Solvents or Noxious Substances
  • Operating a Watercraft Under the Influence of Alcohol or a Controlled Substance - Minors - Blood Alcohol Content Above 0.02 Percent

Authors