New York statute
N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law § 270.50 — Trial jury; viewing of premises
Current through 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17)
Part of Article 270: Jury Trial--formation and Conduct of Jury, New York Criminal Procedure Law.
Full text of N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law § 270.50
Statutory text current through the 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17). This publication reproduces the text of the Consolidated Laws of New York as provided by the New York State Senate's Open Legislation service (Legislative Bill Drafting Commission statutory text); it is not the official statutes of the State of New York.
270.50 Trial jury; viewing of premises.
1. When the court is of the opinion that a viewing or observation by
the jury of the premises or place where an offense on trial was
allegedly committed, or of any other premises or place involved in the
case, will be helpful to the jury in determining any material factual
issue, it may in its discretion, at any time before the commencement of
the summations, order that the jury be conducted to such premises or
place for such purpose in accordance with the provisions of this
section.
2. In such case, the jury must be kept together throughout under the
supervision of an appropriate public servant or servants appointed by
the court, and the court itself must be present throughout. The
prosecutor, the defendant and counsel for the defendant may as a matter
of right be present throughout, but such right may be waived.
3. The purpose of such an inspection is solely to permit visual
observation by the jury of the premises or place in question, and
neither the court, the parties, counsel nor the jurors may engage in
discussion or argumentation concerning the significance or implications
of anything under observation or concerning any issue in the case.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.