CA · jury_instructions
CALCRIM No. 221
Reasonable Doubt: Bifurcated Trial
The People are required to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable
doubt.
Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is proof that leaves you with an
abiding conviction that the allegation is true. The evidence does not need
to eliminate all possible doubt because everything in life is open to some
possible or imaginary doubt.
In deciding whether the People have proved (an/the) allegation beyond a
reasonable doubt, you must impartially compare and consider all the
evidence that was received during this [phase of the] trial. Unless the
evidence proves (an/the) allegation beyond a reasonable doubt, you must
find that the allegation has not been proved [and disregard it
completely].
New January 2006; Revised August 2015
Provenance
- Source
- courts.ca.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-20
- Edition
- calcrim-2019
- Content hash
472a43efb7d41e9bb037f4610253cee69a18d71da3b44e0d89299c2a8c0be8bd
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