Oregon Uniform Criminal Jury Instructions
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

No. 1009 – Innocence of Defendant–Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

The defendant is innocent unless and until the defendant is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The burden is on the state, and the state alone, to prove the guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt.

Reasonable doubt is doubt based on common sense and reason. Reasonable doubt is not an imaginary doubt. Reasonable doubt means an honest uncertainty as to the guilt of the defendant. You must return a verdict of not guilty if, after careful and impartial consideration of all the evidence in the case, you are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt / to a moral certainty that the defendant is guilty.

 

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