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Simple English definitions for legal terms
deliberate-indifference instruction
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A quick definition of deliberate-indifference instruction:
A deliberate-indifference instruction is a set of instructions given to a jury in a criminal case. It means that a defendant can be found guilty of a crime even if they claim they didn't know about a crucial fact related to the crime. For example, if a person takes a bag from a known drug dealer and smells marijuana coming from it, they can't claim they didn't know it contained drugs. The court can instruct the jury to infer the defendant's guilty knowledge if they deliberately avoided knowing the critical facts.
A more thorough explanation:
A deliberate-indifference instruction is a legal instruction given to a jury in a criminal case. It means that a defendant can be found guilty of a crime even if they claim they did not know certain facts about the crime, but the circumstances surrounding the crime would have made a reasonable person aware of those facts.
For example, if a person is caught with a bag of drugs but claims they did not know the bag contained drugs, a deliberate-indifference instruction may be given if the person had taken the bag from a known drug dealer and could smell marijuana coming from the bag. This means that the jury can infer that the person knew the bag contained drugs, even if they did not have direct knowledge of it.
The deliberate-indifference instruction is also known as the Jewell instruction, named after a court case that established this legal principle.