Washington statute
RCW 10.56.050 — Jury instruction for informant testimony
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Chapter 10.56: Witnesses—Eyewitnesses And Informants, Revised Code of Washington.
Full text of RCW 10.56.050
Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the official text of the Revised Code of Washington from the Code Reviser's published files; it is not the official statutes of the State of Washington.
(1) If the testimony of an informant is admitted in a criminal proceeding, the prosecuting attorney or defendant may request a jury instruction on exercising caution in evaluating the credibility of an informant. Except when otherwise determined by the court, the instruction should be substantially similar to the following form:
"The testimony of an informant, given on behalf of the [State] [City] [County] in exchange for a legal advantage or other benefit, should be subjected to careful examination in the light of other evidence in the case, and should be acted upon with great caution. You, the jury, must weigh the credibility of his or her testimony. You should not find the defendant guilty upon such testimony alone unless, after carefully considering the testimony, you are satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of its truth."
(2) For the purposes of this section, "informant" has the same meaning as in RCW 10.56.040.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.