Jury service

Rtj123

Apologies if this is in the wrong section, didn’t know the best place to post it.

I’m currently on jury service. I went for one morning where 12 people were chosen for a jury. The other 10 have been sent away and told to ring a number later in the week for instructions?

On my form before a jury was decided, Ithad a box where it said to write any reasons for the judge to consider you not to be part of the jury. I have a breathing problem which gets worse when I’m nervous. I stated I am nervous going into court.


Are they likely to take this into consideration for when I have to call later in the week? And is it likely the other 10 people will be asked

mr_stripey

When I did jury service there was a "pool" of around 30 jurors and they would be randomly selected to serve on a jury. Some who didn't get selected were sent home but were required to attend each day to see if they would be selected. I got three trials in my two weeks but there were others who got none.

They will certainly take your condition into consideration I'm sure. I know someone who managed to get out of jury service because he said he was stressed about moving house. It was more of a cheeky ploy but the judge brought it and discharged him from duty.

I would though urge you to make yourself available if you at all can. I was really, really nervous - as was everyone else (most people are doing it for the first and only time) but we settled down and it was an amazing experience. I'm still friends with a couple of my fellow jurors more than ten years later! One young woman on our jury was literally shaking with fear on the first morning but by the end of it she was confidently and articulately expressing her opinion during deliberations. It was an absolutely transformative experience for her I think.

Keep_pedalling

The selection is totally random, and I think most people will be nervous about their first time and as you do not seem to have stated any particular medical reason so I don’t think you will be excluded from the selection for the reason you put.

Have done jury service twice I think your nerves will vanish once things start. The vast majority of cases are fairly hum drum affairs and each case only lasts a couple of days. A lot of your time will be spent waiting to go in and once your your only task is to listen and make notes if you wish. I found it fascinating to se how the system works and went back in on the one case that went to sentencing, but that bit is totally voluntary.

Rtj123

Keep_pedalling said:

The selection is totally random, and I think most people will be nervous about their first time and as you do not seem to have stated any particular medical reason so I don’t think you will be excluded from the selection for the reason you put.

Have done jury service twice I think your nerves will vanish once things start. The vast majority of cases are fairly hum drum affairs and each case only lasts a couple of days. A lot of your time will be spent waiting to go in and once your your only task is to listen and make notes if you wish. I found it fascinating to se how the system works and went back in on the one case that went to sentencing, but that bit is totally voluntary.

Thanks. I did state my medical condition on the form and stated it flares up when anxious.

TimSynths

I too found it an amazing experience, so interesting. It's the only civic duty the UK asks of you, you can live in a cave and never vote but the one thing that we can expect is to be tried by a random jury of 12 fellow citizens.

Albermarle

I find it strange that neither me or my OH have never been called to jury service, and we are both in our 60's and have always lived and worked in the UK.

mr_stripey

Keep_pedalling said:

The selection is totally random, and I think most people will be nervous about their first time and as you do not seem to have stated any particular medical reason so I don’t think you will be excluded from the selection for the reason you put.

Have done jury service twice I think your nerves will vanish once things start. The vast majority of cases are fairly hum drum affairs and each case only lasts a couple of days. A lot of your time will be spent waiting to go in and once your your only task is to listen and make notes if you wish. I found it fascinating to se how the system works and went back in on the one case that went to sentencing, but that bit is totally voluntary.

I would love the chance to do it again. Not one of the jurors in our pool had done it before and it struck me that there are very few situations in life where everyone is in the same boat, for the first time like this.

It was very interesting to see how it all works - as you say much of it is fairly mundane. 

GrubbyGirl_2

I was called just after lockdown to be a jury on a coroners case.  A lot of it was done by video then but it was the most fascinating thing I have ever done.  I would gladly do it again

olbas_oil

I've done two. It was a big Crown Court with a pool of perhaps 80 jurors, and 5 simultaneous courts. It can be very boring waiting to see if you get selected, and I was always glad when my name got called. Each time I did 2/3 trials of 2-3 days each. They usually call down 15 potential jurors from the pool (in case any get objected to) but last time 25 of us went down and the judge asked whether any of us would be unable to do a long case of 2-3 weeks. 

It was fascinating. There were gruesome bits, but we supported eachother. The most memorable part when the accused was in the box and was handed a large knife, which he was asked to examine. The policeman next to him went as white as a sheet!

Getting called three times would be highly unlikely, but I'd do it in an instant. It is a really interesting experience, and very instructive from what you learn about how people make decisions. 

Rtj123

Thanks everyone for your replies. I don’t mind being picked, I’d just rather not. 

Reading above then conditions don’t matter if you’re chosen or not so I just wasn’t picked on the first trail. There were 22 of us and 12 picked. Thanks.

Keep_pedalling

Albermarle said:

I find it strange that neither me or my OH have never been called to jury service, and we are both in our 60's and have always lived and worked in the UK.

I only got called the first time in my 60’s then got called again 2 years later. My wife has never been called.