Jury service

diystarter7

Hi OP
They will consider it

I have been called up at least 5 times and I have refused every time as I rarely do public transport and made my excuses becuse of that and I worked at the time (I came up with a excuses but not the aforementioned one and it worked for me and they called me up once to verify this and I was a bit worried what I'd say but there was a line of people like me and it took a moment for their staff to say i was ecused - this was about 20 or so years ago - got a paid day off work but I hated the travel on the trains)

If I got an invite now, I'd go especially if its a major court. I've been called to the old bailey twice, belmarsh once, southwark rwice

A Bil of mine a few years ago spent more than two months on jury service he loved it and then had another stint of several minor cases lasting a few days each.

mac.d

I've been called up four times, the last two I've been excused because of my job. Previous times, went to Sheriff court (broadly similar to County courts) and had to attend four days in a row and didn't get picked for any. Next was the High Court, went for two days without anything happening, then when phoning that second night everyone was told not to go back as the individual had changed their plea to guilty.

Seems very hit and miss if you get selected for jury duty in the first place, and just as hit and miss as to whether you're actually needed once selected. I was at college the first time and it even lectures seemed appealing after spending four days sitting about all day doing nothing at court.

EssexHebridean

Rtj123 said:

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

HI OP - first up well done for doing Jury service - it's a vital part of the way the UK justice system works and too many people just make excuses not to do it! If you have an inhaler or similar make sure that you have it with you at all times - and a spare one that you can leave in your bag in your locker too. You are limited on what you can take into the courtroom so you must make the Jury Officer aware that you will need that.

It IS nervewracking - of course it is, and particularly when you have no idea what sort of case you might get, and what the procedure is. The main thing I found when I was called first time was simply fronting up to the fact that it was a scary thing actually helped. And then you realise that everyone feels exactly the same, and that helps too!  You'll find that if you do get selected from the panel lots of explanation will be given about what will happen - anything you're uncertain about, just ask your Jury Officer - they are SO used to reassuring people! The whole set up is through necessity a little less relaxing than it used to be I think - it used to be that as a rule the Jury room became your second home for the time you were there. We had access to tea and coffee, relatively comfy seating, and lots of opportunity for interaction with others who were there for service at the same time. That time I did three weeks - my main two week stint then I was asked if I was willing to return for a third week as they needed cover for the Coroners court. I found the whole process fascinating - from seeing how my fellow panel members dealt with the whole thing, to the process in the court. Coroners was very difficult to do - I'm glad I volunteered for it, but I wouldn't do it again if the choice was given.

The second time I was called was during Covid - and was a very different experience as we only mixed within our own group (which I recall would have been 22 people same as yours, but reduced to 20 as two were unwell) and after the first day it was a matter of ringing up at a time we were given to find out if we were required the next day.  On that occasion at the end of my first week I called to see if I was needed on the Monday following, and was told that there were two upcoming cases for the following week - I was given outline details of each and it was underlined to me that both were likely to be lengthy. Because I had served before, and had voluntarily done Coroners on that occasion, I was told I had the option to decline to be included on the panel for those upcoming cases - and due to the nature of the two cases in question, I chose to take up that option. I was then discharged from further attendance as they had sufficient numbers for anything else upcoming. 

baser999

I enjoyed my spell on jury service. The only slightly unnerving element to it was that one of the cases was relatively local and having found the party guilty we were dismissed as sentencing was being deferred until the next day when a co-accused was being brought back to court. He’d elected to be tried separately. 

What if they’d received suspended sentences and by chance they recognised you in the area some time later?

turnitround

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 was called about 35 years ago and Im now 70. I come from a very large family and so does hubby but neither of us know anyone, either family, friends or workmates who have ever been called.

Andy_L

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.

"in 2015 there were 361,300 juror summons issued in England and Wales, but the number who actually sat on a jury was just 179,200. With the two nations having a total population of 57.8 million, it means the chances of serving are relatively slim. The Ministry of Justice declined to give figures on the likelihood of being summoned, but a BBC Scotland analysis found that the probability of being asked to serve is just 40% over a lifetime."

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/aug/20/jury-service-repeated-summons

Assuming that's an accurate analysis then the chance of neither of you being called is 36%, so about as strange as rolling a 5 or 6 on a 6 sided dice, so not particularly unusual

mr_stripey

As an aside, and knowing this site is well known for it's advice on parking tickets - at the end of my first day on the jury, we were listening to the somewhat upsetting testimony from the victim in an unpleasant case. The Judge was keen that the witness should try and get her spell in the witness box completed that afternoon (rather than coming back the next day) and asked the jury if we would mind staying late to allow this. No one on the jury objected but one lady said she had only paid for parking until 5pm and was worried she might get a ticket. 

The Judge simply replied "if you get a ticket, you bring it to me and I will make it vanish"

Well played sir, I thought. 

Rtj123

Thanks for all your great comments. 

I have to ring up in a days time after 5pm to see what I have to do next. It’s a bit of a pain also as I’m self employed it’s difficult to plan anything 

Skiddaw1

I've served and so has my husband. I was lucky in that I was chosen on my first day and the trial lasted well into the second week (after which most of us were discharged) but my husband wasn't chosen until his second to last day, by which time he was heartily fed up of sitting around drinking manky vending machine coffee! Hope the remainder of your time goes well @Rtj123 . It'll be a lot less stressful once you're actually on a trial- honestly...

Rtj123

Skiddaw1 said:

I've served and so has my husband. I was lucky in that I was chosen on my first day and the trial lasted well into the second week (after which most of us were discharged) but my husband wasn't chosen until his second to last day, by which time he was heartily fed up of sitting around drinking manky vending machine coffee! Hope the remainder of your time goes well @Rtj123 . It'll be a lot less stressful once you're actually on a trial- honestly...

thanks. When your husband was selected on his second to last day, did he end up staying for over the 2 weeks?