A jury is considering whether a defendant is guilty or innocent. Eight of the jury members believe that the defendant is innocent before the deliberations begin. Once the jury begins its discussion a jury member who initially voted for guilt changes to vote for innocence. At this point the jury decides that the defendant is innocent. The decision rule in this case was likely to have been which of the following?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The "first shift" rule suggests that the decision is made when the first person changes their vote, which aligns with the scenario where one juror changes their vote to innocence, leading to the decision.

A Jury Is Considering Whether a Defendant Is Guilty or Innocent