Opinion ID: 2590105
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Allen- type Instruction

Text: Anthony argues the district court judge erred in giving an Allen -type instruction that [l]ike all cases, [this case] must be decided sometime. He contends this instruction misled the jury and exerted undue pressure for a verdict. There was no objection to this instruction at trial. No party may assign as error the giving or failure to give an instruction . . . unless the party objects thereto before the jury retires to consider its verdict stating distinctly the matter to which the party objects and the grounds of the objection unless the instruction . . . is clearly erroneous. K.S.A.2005 Supp. 22-3414(3); see also State v. Bell, 280 Kan. 358, 364, 121 P.3d 972 (2005). Instructions are clearly erroneous only if the reviewing court is firmly convinced that there is a real possibility the jury would have rendered a different verdict if the trial error had not occurred. 280 Kan. at 364, 121 P.3d 972. PIK Crim.3d 68.12 contains the wording challenged in this case. The use of PIK instructions, while not mandatory, is strongly recommended. The pattern instructions have been developed by a knowledgeable committee to bring accuracy, clarity, and uniformity to jury instructions. See Hebert, 277 Kan. at 87, 82 P.3d 470. Anthony is correct that this instruction has been the source of some controversy. We have disapproved of its use when given after deliberations have begun. See, e.g., State v. Struzik, 269 Kan. 95, Syl. ¶ 6, 5 P.3d 502 (2000); State v. Boyd, 206 Kan. 597, 600-01, 481 P.2d 1015 (1971), cert. denied 405 U.S. 927, 92 S.Ct. 977, 30 L.Ed.2d 800 (1972); Bush v. State, 203 Kan. 494, 498-99, 454 P.2d 429 (1969). However, even those situations have rarely resulted in reversals. See, e.g., State v. Troy, 215 Kan. 369, 373, 524 P.2d 1121 (1974). On the other hand, when, as here, the instruction accompanies all of the rest of the instructions given before deliberations begin, there is no error. See State v. Makthepharak, 276 Kan. 563, 569, 78 P.3d 412 (2003); State v. Roadenbaugh, 234 Kan. 474, 483, 673 P.2d 1166 (1983); State v. Irving, 231 Kan. 258, 265-66, 644 P.2d 389 (1982). We will not depart from that holding in this case. Even if it is not literally inevitable that all cases . . . must be decided sometime, inclusion of the quoted language in this instruction does not render it clearly erroneous. If the instructions properly and fairly state the law as applied to the facts of the case, and a jury could not reasonably have been misled by them, the instructions do not constitute reversible error even if they are in some way erroneous. State v. Mays, 277 Kan. 359, 378-79, 85 P.3d 1208 (2004).