Opinion ID: 1293848
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Submission of Written Charge to the Jury

Text: At the conclusion of the court's charge to the jury, the court informed the jury they would receive a written copy of his charge in the jury room. Following the attorneys' review of the charge, appellant objected. The court submitted the written charge to the jury without addressing appellant's objection. Appellant argues the trial court erred by sending the jury charge in written form to the jury. A trial court may, in its discretion, submit its instructions on the law to the jury in writing. Cf. Clark v. Cantrell, 339 S.C. 369, 529 S.E.2d 528 (2000) (an appellate court will not reverse the trial court's decision regarding jury instructions unless the trial court abused its discretion); see State v. McAvoy, 331 N.C. 583, 417 S.E.2d 489 (1992) (trial court has inherent authority, in its discretion, to submit its instructions on the law to the jury in writing). Further, appellant has not shown how he was prejudiced by the court's alleged error. See State v. Douglas, 369 S.C. 424, 632 S.E.2d 845 (2006) (appellate courts will not set aside convictions due to insubstantial errors not affecting the result). Although no error was made in the instant case, we remind the Bench that the submission of written instructions to the jury is not appropriate for every case. While the written submission of the jury instructions could aid a jury in properly applying the law to the facts before it, this practice should be carefully exercised by the Bench.