Jury instructions are instructions for jury deliberation that are written by the judge and given to the jury at trial jury deliberation occurs after evidence is presented and closing arguments are made jury instructions are the only guidance the jury should receive when deliberating and are meant to keep the jury on track regarding the basic procedure of the deliberation and the substance of the law on which their decision is based. Instructions to juries their role in the judicial process r j farley t in the standard works on instructions to juries one is confronted by a mass of descriptive classes of instructions there is usually a division into definitions and distinctions province of the court and jury abstract and concrete statement confinement to pleadings . Juries and judges instructions when a jury trial is conducted community members who typically have no special legal training or knowledge are called on to serve as jurors during the trial the judge instructs jurors as to the relevant law and the procedures to be used to determine an appropriate verdict in the case