If the jury are permitted to separate, either during the trial or after the case is submitted to them, they shall be admonished by the court that it is their duty not to converse with, or suffer themselves to be addressed by, any other person, on any subject of the trial, and that it is their duty not to form or express an opinion thereon, until the case is finally submitted to them.
§ 581.Admonition of Jury On Separation
Chapter 11: Trial · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 581 requires the court to warn a jury that's allowed to separate, whether during trial or after the case is submitted, not to discuss the case with anyone else and not to form or state an opinion until the case is finally in their hands.
Full Text of § 581
Amendment History
R.L. 1910, § 5006.
Plain-English Summary
If the jury is permitted to separate -- whether during the trial itself or after the case has been submitted to them -- the court must admonish them. Their duty is not to converse with, or let themselves be addressed by, anyone else on any subject connected with the trial, and not to form or express an opinion on the case until it's finally submitted to them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a judge tell jurors before letting them separate during an Oklahoma trial?
That it's their duty not to converse with, or be addressed by, anyone else about the trial, and not to form or express an opinion until the case is finally submitted to them.
Does the admonition apply only to separations after the case is submitted?
No. It applies whether the jury separates during the trial or after the case is submitted to them.
Can jurors talk about the case among themselves before it's submitted to them?
The admonition tells jurors not to form or express an opinion on the case until it's finally submitted, which points against discussing it prematurely.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: jury admonition oklahomainstructions to jury before separation12 O.S. § 581