NY · jury_instructions
CJI2d[NY] Character Evidence
CHARACTER EVIDENCE
(A witness or Witnesses) testified about the defendant's reputation in the community for (specify e.g., nonviolence).
Such evidence was offered to establish that the defendant is of such character as to make it unlikely that he/she committed the crime(s) charged.
Under our law, evidence of good character, even if believed, does not excuse criminal conduct if that conduct is proven beyond a reasonable doubt. When considered with all the other evidence in the case, however, evidence of good character may give rise to a reasonable doubt where, without it, none would exist.
If evidence of good character, when considered with all of the other evidence in the case, raises a reasonable doubt of the defendant's guilt, then you must find the defendant not guilty.
On the other hand, if you are satisfied that the defendant’s guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, notwithstanding the evidence of his/her good character, then you must find the defendant guilty.
History
Caption: CHARACTER EVIDENCE. Read from the committee's Word file. Prepared by the New York State Unified Court System Committee on Criminal Jury Instructions, Model Colloquies, and Evidence Rules; published by the Unified Court System at nycourts.gov (the internet edition is the only current and official publication of CJI2d).
Provenance
- Source
- nycourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-25
- Edition
- 2026-09-25
- Content hash
130a4a7b06d5aef77fb2e52f35d449458b74295cdf6ea5250a17843cceb1f1a0
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