MS · jury_instructions
Proposed Mississippi Plain Language Model Jury Instructions - Criminal 3409
Arson - Recklessly Setting Fire to Woods
[Name of defendant] is charged in count ___ with arson.
If you find beyond a reasonable doubt from the evidence in this case that:
1. On or about [date of alleged crime], in __________ County;
2A. [Name of defendant] recklessly and unlawfully [set/caused] fire to a __________ [specify
woods, meadow, marsh, field, or prairie], which was not owned by [name of defendant];
OR
2B. [Name of defendant] unlawfully and with gross negligence [set/caused] fire to a __________
[specify woods, meadow, marsh, field, or prairie], which was not owned by [name of defendant],
then you shall find [name of defendant] guilty as charged.
If the State did not prove any one of the above listed elements beyond a reasonable doubt,
then you shall find [name of defendant] not guilty of count _____.
Definition(s) in this Instruction:
In this instruction, “recklessly” means that a person had a brush or debris pile or other
material which was being burned, and [he/she] did not act with reasonable care to make sure that
the fire would not spread onto another person’s property.
In this instruction, “with gross negligence” means that a person had a brush or debris pile
or other material which was being burned, and [he/she] did not act with reasonable care to make
sure that the fire would not spread onto another person’s property.
History
Proposed Mississippi Plain Language Model Jury Instructions - Criminal 3409 (current as of June 30, 2012). Submitted in 2012 by the Mississippi Model Jury Instructions Commission (created by the Supreme Court of Mississippi by order of December 30, 2008) and published by the Court on courts.ms.gov. The Court states that these model jury instructions have not been adopted or approved by the Supreme Court of Mississippi.
Provenance
- Source
- courts.ms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-25
- Edition
- 2026-09-25
- Content hash
86b30fe77d76471100adbd447eef2e0c26378ae1e47bf3d3a5efffc8f9561581
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