State v. Czachor

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

HANDLER, J.

The issue presented in this appeal is whether it is plain error for a judge in a criminal trial to give repeated supplemental instructions, commonly known as an “Allen charge,”1 to jurors who had indicated on three occasions that they were deadlocked and unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Defendant contends that the repeated use of the Allen charge, which is intended to persuade the jury to reach a unanimous verdict on defendant’s guilt or innocence, was so inherently coercive that it justifies reversal of his conviction under the doctrine…