Electronic Evidence
Jury Evidence Recording System (JERS)
The District Court for the District of Massachusetts is using a jury evidence recording system (JERS) that allows evidence admitted during trial to be viewed electronically in the jury deliberation room upon the conclusion of the trial.
JERS provides easy access to evidence during the deliberations through the use of a touch screen monitor in the jury room.
Attorneys of record will be given an opportunity to review the exhibits at the conclusion of evidence. Court personnel, at the Judge’s direction, will release exhibits to the jury as deliberations begin.
JERS has the ability to:
- Store all exhibits submitted prior to trial, and then designate just those admitted into evidence for the jury’s use during deliberations
- Capture, through the courtroom’s presentation equipment, exhibits that were not submitted prior to trial but later admitted by the court
- Print a list of the exhibits, by number and by description, that can be released to the deliberating jury
- Restrict how the jury may review the exhibit: Audio Only, Video Only, Zoom Off (Zoom Off restricts the jury from enlarging an exhibit on the touch screen in the deliberation room).
The presiding judge will determine how and if JERS will be used during any trial.
At the conclusion of the trial (after the verdict is returned) the clerk's office can produce a DVD of all exhibits presented to the jury for the attorney[s] of record for the plaintiff and defendant upon request.