In what circumstances will a jury not convict defendant solely based on his prior convictions?

California, United States of America

The following excerpt is from People v. VELEZ, E048360, No. SWF022996 (Cal. App. 2010):

We must assume that the jurors followed the court's instruction (unless the record shows otherwise) and considered defendant's prior convictions for the sole purpose of determining defendant's credibility and his intent. (People v. Osband(1996) 13 Cal.4th 622, 714.) The record supports that the jurors did not convict defendant solely based on his prior crimes. The verdict forms apparently confused the jurors, as they were in conflict with the given instructions.

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