Jury duty in 3 days - anxiety issues

motherofstudents

I would love to do jury service. One of my friends has done it, my husband's done it and my brother did it just before Christmas. As others have said, it can be very boring. On some days you may just have to phone the court to see if you are needed. As for the relatives following you home etc, no that is so unlikely. They know the person has done something wrong and they will not blame the jury.

You are doing the classic 'what if...' and it all ends in disaster. Why not try 'what if .......I really enjoy it, what if it is interesting etc etc' I'm not saying this in a dismissive way, I really do understand but I believe you can do this. Please let us know when you have done your first day !

Lara44

Just to add to the other posts - I found jury service very mundane and not at all like the drama on TV. I sat in the waiting room for a couple of days, and read lots of books! In the end I got called in for two very minor cases. On one the judge gave us lots of direction. Deliberating was not too hard - you elect a leader in the group, a foreman who helps to lead discussion. Really, you're hearing people's stories, talking about everyday events - things that we do often in life, albeit in a different context. No new skills are required. I was pleased that the other jurors showed great care and attention to all the details of the cases, it was a very respectful process. There were a range of different people from all kinds of backgrounds which was good too.

Being a juror is a very worthwhile thing to do, and I hope you're proud of your contribution. Come back and post all about it!

dancingfairy

In response to my earlier post Ijust meant that it wouldn't be down to the OP on their own to make a decision. There's a group of you.
Also I think it's ulikely an innocent person would be convicted. If you're unsure or it comes down to one persons word against anothers then you'd presumably have to find them innocent.
OP you appear to be thinking of one great big scary thing.
Why not break it down into manageable chunks? ie can I drive to the building and park? can I register? yes. One bit at a time. O.K so you may have a panic attack. It wouldn't be great but you'd just be sent home or sent outside to compose yourself I would assume. You might cry at the evidence? well yes, you could, it happens. The courts expect these kind of things.
Needing the loo? Well I'd guess that happens too. Iwould imagine that the day is kind of structured anyway ie afew hours, then a coffee break, a fewhours, then lunch break, etc etc but if you did need the loo you'd either manage to hold on or you'd put your hand up or whatever and leave briefly (mild embarrassment for a split second and that would be it).
I would go and see and at least register, find out if you're selected and then go from there. If you really can't do it then asked to be excused but you will know you've done your best (and who knows it might even turn out o.k ).
To be honest, from where you've been even contemplating going is a massive achievement and even driving there and registering would be great.
Be kind to yourself. Use any techniques you find helpful to you -relaxing, deep breathing,stretching, meditation ,rescue remedy, positive visulisation, thinking through the things that wory you and working out, o.k are these really likely to happen? really? distraction (obviously not these in court etc )
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Nicki

I've never been on a jury but have seen lots of jury trials (as a lawyer).

Lots of jurors cry if the case is a tough one or the evidence is upsetting. Its really common and no one bats an eyelid. Sometimes people in the public gallery cry too and they aren't even seeing the evidence up close.

If you need the loo, just write a note and pass it down the row of jurors and the one sitting at the end will hand it to the clerk who will hand it to the judge, who will adjourn briefly and send all the jury out. No one in court will know who has asked for the loo, or probably even that this is why there has been a short break. There is absolutely no need to put your hand up and call attention to yourself

Make full use of whichever court official is supporting the jury in your court. Any concerns or worries, however tiny, discuss with them. They will have heard it all before and will be able to set your mind at rest hopefully about everything with the specific info relating to that court (eg separate entrances, etc)

Anxiety disorders and panic attacks are horrid things and I appreciate this must seem like a huge ordeal just at the moment. I think though that you wouldn't have gone through with it if you hadn't known deep down that you CAN do this, and I am also confident that once it is all over, that you will be justly proud of yourself for how you coped. The anticipation is often worse than the reality