Resources for Judges, Attorneys, Court Staff, and the Public

Jury Instructions for Judges and Attorneys

The Judicial Council of California has adopted award-winning plain language civil and criminal jury instructions that accurately convey the law using language that is understandable to jurors. 

California Civil Jury Instructions (CACI) and
Criminal Jury Instructions (CALCRIM)

References

Judicial Council of California Jury References - Jury Improvement Program

• Jury Improvement Program Fact Sheet (March 2010, rev. 2023)
• History of the Jury Improvement Program (August 2018, rev. 2023)
• Juror Orientation Video Fact Sheet (2023) 
• One Day or One Trial Fact Sheet (2010, rev. 2023)
• Task Force on Jury System Improvements, Final Report (2003, rev. 2004) 
• Final Report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Jury System Improvement (1996)
   

Judicial Council of California Jury References - Brochures

• Jury Handbook
• Jury Service Stress
• Court and Community
• A Guide to Jury Deliberations
• One-Day or One-Trial — It's Better for Business
• Navigating Social Media and the Internet for Jurors
   

Judicial Council of California Jury References - Reports to the Legislature

• Jury Peremptory Challenges in Criminal Misdemeanor Cases: Report to the Legislature, Code of Civil Procedure section 231 (2020)
• Jury Sanctions: Report to the Legislature, Code of Civil Procedure section 209 (2009)
• Jury Sanctions Procedure: Report to the Legislature, Code of Civil Procedure section 209 (2007) 

Judicial Council of California Jury References - Court Administration

• Sample Jury Services Policy (2021)
• Jury Service Prescreening Questionnaire Template (2021)
• Juror Questionnaire for Civil Cases (September 2018)
• Juror Questionnaire for Criminal Cases (September 2018)
• Juror Questionnaire for Expedited Jury Trials (September 2018)
• Sample Juror Voir Dire Questionnaire (June 2018, rev. 2021)
• Failure-to-Appear Toolkit (2009)
• Failure-to-Appear Appendices (2009)
  (Please note that you need to download these to your computer before accessing.)
• Model Juror Summons (2000, rev. 2020)
   

National Center for State Courts References - Prepared for the Judicial Council of California 

• Assessment of Juror Utilization in the Superior Courts of California (2011)
• Does Jury Size Matter? Literature Review of Research on Jury Size (2004)
• Increasing the Jury Pool: Fiscal Impact of the Employer Tax Credit (2004)
• Examining Voir Dire in California (2004)
   

Jury Improvement Program, Jury Data Report (JDR) - References and Reports

• Jury Data Report Fact Sheet (May 2011, rev. 2020)
• Jury Data Report, Example Survey Template (April 2019)
• Jury Data Report Executive Summary (Fiscal Year 2019-2020)
• JDR_FY1920_AllCourts.xlsx (Data for Fiscal Year 2019-2020)
• National Center for State Courts, CourTools Measure 8: Effective Use of Jurors (2005, ver. 2.0 2011)