A hung jury, also known as a deadlocked jury, is a situation in a trial where the jury is unable to reach a unanimous or legally required majority decision on a verdict after extended deliberation. This means the jurors cannot agree on whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. When a hung jury occurs, the judge may instruct the jury to continue deliberating, but if they still cannot agree, the judge typically declares a mistrial. This does not result in a verdict, and the case may be retried with a new jury. The prosecution then decides whether to retry the case, drop the charges, or negotiate a plea. Notably, double jeopardy (which prohibits trying someone twice for the same crime) does not apply when a mistrial is declared due to a hung jury. Hung juries are most common in criminal cases requiring unanimous verdicts. They represent a deadlock where the jury cannot meet the required consensus, which results in the trial ending without a verdict and typically leads to a retrial or dismissal depending on the prosecution's decision. In summary, a hung jury means the jury failed to agree on a verdict, leading to a mistrial and the possibility of a new trial with a new jury.