A hung jury occurs when jury members cannot reach the unanimous verdict required in criminal trials, remaining deadlocked after thorough deliberation. In Canada, criminal trial juries must be unanimous—all 12 jurors must agree on a verdict of guilty or not guilty. If jurors cannot agree despite adequate time and instruction from the judge, the jury is discharged and declared hung. A hung jury doesn't mean the accused is acquitted—the Crown can choose to retry the case with a new jury, negotiate a plea, or withdraw charges. Hung juries are relatively rare because most cases produce clear verdicts. Factors contributing to hung juries include genuinely ambiguous evidence, juror misconceptions, or hold-out jurors unwilling to deliberate. Civil juries in some provinces don't require unanimity—majority verdicts may suffice. The requirement for unanimous criminal verdicts reflects the principle that guilt must be proven beyond reasonable doubt to all decision-makers.