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Welcome to the Vermont Model Criminal Jury Instructions. The instructions are sponsored by the Vermont Bar Association.
Use the drop-down menus above or the search function below to find individual instructions and the accompanying reporter's notes.
In addition, clicking on the menu headers above will show a table of contents for that section, and there is also a master table of contents available. Long-time users of the instructions will find the master table of contents to be in the familiar format.
Search for an Instruction:
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You may search for an instruction by using the name of the crime (e.g., kidnapping) or by using the statutory citation (e.g., 13 V.S.A. 2405 or, more simply, 2405). Note that the search software is simply reading the text on each page, and thus doesn't recognize "VSA" without the periods.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
June 16, 2014: New instructions for identity theft (13 V.S.A. § 2030(a)) and for obtaining a regulated drug by deceit (18 V.S.A. § 4223(a)(1)) have been added.
May 9, 2013: The revised instructions on kidnapping and unlawful restraint are now available here.
May 9, 2013: Please welcome our new reporter, Ben McIntyre.
April 10, 2013: In response to reader comment, fixed broken link to instruction for cruelty to a child.
March 15, 2013. A busy day for jury instructions at the Vermont Supreme Court. In State v. Casey, 2013 VT 22, the Court provided guidance on how a jury should be instructed in the event that a codefendant pleads guilty in … Continue reading
December 19, 2012: The new instruction on aggravated assault by threatening another with a deadly weapon, 13 V.S.A. § 1024(a)(5), is available here.
November 26, 2012. The revised instruction on unlawful restraint, incorporating language from State v. Carrasquillo, is now available here. Please note that the kidnapping instruction should be updated as well, but this change has not been made yet.
October 29, 2012: At the Fall 2012 meeting, the committee (1) revised instructions on kidnapping and unlawful restraint to incorporate language from State v. Carrasquillo regarding whether a confinement has become sufficiently substantial to meet the elements of the crime. See … Continue reading
September 5, 2012: At the Spring 2012 meeting, the committee took the following actions: (1) a revised definition of the mental state of “willfulness” throughout the instructions; (2) new instructions on juror use of electronic devices, following State v. Abdi, 2012 VT … Continue reading
August 31, 2012: In State v. Bourn, 2012 VT 71 (Aug. 31, 2012), the Vermont Supreme Court held that the offense of aggravated assault by threatening to use a deadly weapon, 13 V.S.A. § 1024(a)(5), “requires that the actor subjectively intend … Continue reading