Personally I’d jump at the chance; I imagine it’d be a fascinating experience (until the novelty wore off, anyway). But I don’t really understand it being mandatory and seemingly so keenly enforced. If someone doesn’t want to do it, why can’t they opt out? It’s not like we’re particularly short on people.

Send them a photo of you on the beach with a mimosa and today’s paper 🙂

My only concern is getting stuck in a six month case but the bloke said that was extremely unlikely.

I am self employed and lost a load of money when I had to do it for 10 days.

I really would not have minded as much if

a) They would have paid for me to use my car so if I was dismissed could get to my clients site afterwards.

b) The were a little bit more efficient in the way they organised things and didn’t waste over 80% of the time I was there just waiting in the lounge.

Personally I’d jump at the chance; I imagine it’d be a fascinating experience (until the novelty wore off, anyway).

it is fascinating in the way this place is 😉

What is surprising is that some folk really dont get it or some pis simple rules or facts

It made me scared to face my peers on trial *tbh and like judge based trials more.

* i have never been tried to be clear

She was scared by the general level of ignorance and inability to understand some fairly basic facts about the case by a significant proportion of the jury.

I was more worried by the “couldn’t give a toss” attitude of the prosecution and defence. So obviously going through the motions for a mundane case, left us to make our own decision based on how we didn’t like the look of the bloke.
In the end I gave up arguing that they hadn’t proved anything – certainly not proved the bloke guilty. But as he looked like a wrong-un the rest of the jury decided he was guilty.

D0NK – Member
*BTW I haven’t seen it from a accused’s POV either**
**and don’t want to

So either:
a) You’re decent law abiding chap
or
b) You’ve just not been caught yet
😉

This is the scary bit for me. Mrs J did 10 days last year. She was scared by the general level of ignorance and inability to understand some fairly basic facts about the case by a significant proportion of the jury.

I’d like consideration given to professional jurors – or at least a test which demonstrates a basic ability to concentrate for more than 5 minutes.

This.

Also the jury shouldn’t see the trial live, but taped, with the ‘Jury to disregard the last statement’ bits removed.

Good news I my friend has managed to get in touch and get the service deferred. Bit of a relief but still have all the good fun of the above described to look forward too!

It might not be so bad. My better half did a spell of jury service a few weeks ago. Every other day I’d get an email from her at about 12:30: “He pleaded guilty (or whatever) and they’ve let us go until tomorrow with a fiver for lunch, I’m off out to the trails, bye“…

For those who would relish the chance, be careful what you wish for. I was looking forward to it, doing my civic duty and all that, just hoping that when I did get a case it wasn’t going to be anything too unpleasant or upsetting.

So, into the court we trooped, sworn in and let’s see what the charges are gonna be….

Three counts of sexual assault on a child under the age of thirteen.

Not the most fun week I’ve ever had.

Just pray you don’t get stuck on some complex fraud case. Can literally last a year or more.

Cheers

Danny B

Just pray you don’t get stuck on some complex fraud case. Can literally last a year or more.

As I understand it, if they expect the case to be a long one, they speak to prospective jurors and excuse people for whom that would be a problem. Basically, if you’re up for a complex fraud, expect to face a jury of pensioners.

I got it deferred then was called 6 months later. I found it boring as hell as you sit around half time waiting.

I’ve never really understood the aversion a lot of people have to doing jury service.

I loved it (even though the prosecution were dicks and the whole case was a shambles, and the food was gruesome, and it hasn’t occured to Glasgow Sherrif Court that if your going to keep 60 people waiting around for half a day you could put them in a room with some chairs) but…. I’m self employed and sometimes I can make a third or even a half of my annual turnover in just two weeks of the year. I can’t predict when those two weeks will come, sometimes I might get a weeks notice. But if i was committed to jury service and the annual big piece of work passed my by it would bankrupt me. So its a nervy business, even just having to have your phone switched off for half a day is a worry.

I’ve got a proper, genuine, might even be good, idea!

The age of retirement is going up. How about an option (or even a compunction) to retire a little bit earlier than the new age but serve as a juror on your new pension income for a good period of time before going into retirement proper. A sort of right of passage into your retirement.

I’d have no issue with being “judged” by my elders, it could even be a nice way to reintroduce the concept of respect for the “wisdom” of the elder members of society.

It would also have the spin off that those of us in paid work would not have our lives royally naused up if we got called up.

I work in a prison, I’d love to do it. After 10 years of working with prisoners I reckon I’d know just by looking at them if they were guilty or not! 😉

Convert, in theory that’s quite a good idea. As long as the jury aren’t all suffering from Alzheimers.

Get a criminal record,

You don’t have or do jury service if you are a criminal I believe

Get a criminal record,

You don’t have or do jury service if you are a criminal I believe

If you can’t think of something to get caught for, try getting caught lying to get out of jury service, that way the punishment (not being able to do jury service) fits the crime (not doing jury service). Poetic Justice. 🙂

It’s probably quite difficult to get a criminal record nowadays, isn’t it?

It’s probably quite difficult to get a criminal record nowadays, isn’t it?

dunno – some people have managed just by making a stupid tweet or farcebook post.

Get a criminal record,

You don’t have or do jury service if you are a criminal I believe
Only if you’ve been in prison in the last 10 years, i thought?

Getting yourself in the dock to avoid being on the jury seems like a good idea if you *really* want to limit the amount of time you spend in the court room 😉

Is it worth cross referencing this thread against any of the Vodafone tax-dodging bastards threads?

I had a great week on jury duty, showed work the letter to say I would be off all week. Turned up on Monday morning and sent home at 11am; went out on bike. Phoned that evening to find not required again until Wed so spent Tuesday on the bike. Turned up on Wednesday morning and sent home at 11am; went out on bike. Phoned that evening to find not required again so spent rest of the week on the bike. Awesomez.

the jury shouldn’t see the trial live, but taped, with the ‘Jury to disregard the last statement’ bits removed.

If you wanted to judge someone’s credibility, would you rather see them in person or watch a videotape of them?

(There’s really not a lot of “disregard that last statement” stuff apart from telly).

I had a great week on jury duty, showed work the letter to say I would be off all week. Turned up on Monday morning and sent home at 11am; went out on bike. Phoned that evening to find not required again until Wed so spent Tuesday on the bike. Turned up on Wednesday morning and sent home at 11am; went out on bike. Phoned that evening to find not required again so spent rest of the week on the bike. Awesomez.

+1

Curiously familiar 😉

Hoping that I’ll have the same experience of jusry duty as messiah and rocketman in a couple of weeks.

I had a great week on jury duty, showed work the letter to say I would be off all week. Turned up on Monday morning and sent home at 11am; went out on bike. Phoned that evening to find not required again until Wed so spent Tuesday on the bike. Turned up on Wednesday morning and sent home at 11am; went out on bike. Phoned that evening to find not required again so spent rest of the week on the bike. Awesomez.

+1
Curiously familiar

+2

Been twice in the last 3 years, so so much for being picked at random, didn’t have to do the second one but enjoyed the first one so much I really didn’t mind.. Think I only had 4 days in court in the 4 weeks, and got a fair chunk of loss of earnings back too seeing as I couldn’t go into work..

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/21/juries-time-ducking-stool

kinda666 – Been twice in the last 3 years, so so much for being picked at random,

Do you need some help understanding the concept of random?

Getting called for jury service is not the same as picked though? My dad used to always jest that the prosecution would select primary school teachers and reject social workers / the defence the opposite..

So if you swan about all week, are the jurors paying (for loss of earnings)? their employers? or the state..?

Was selected a couple of times, but was either in Japan, or about to be re-posted there.

I just saw the solution on my Twitter timeline!

Sarah Knapton @sarahknapton

Judge forced to discharge Old Baily murder trial jury after woman complained fellow juror smelt so bad she couldn’t concentrate on evidence

she can’t spell Bailey but other than that it’s credible.

kcal – Member
Getting called for jury service is not the same as picked though? My dad used to always jest that the prosecution would select primary school teachers and reject social workers / the defence the opposite..

we don’t actually select jurors in the uk like that – its a myth from US TV/film. It is very difficult to influence the composition of the jury unless there is a very good reason.

So if you swan about all week, are the jurors paying (for loss of earnings)? their employers? or the state..?

if required to attend you get a limited loss of earnings. some employers top this back up to the full pay level. if sent home within 4 hours you get less than if kept all day. If you get told in advance you are not required tomorrow you get nothing – some people might screw their employer over by not going to work and still expecting paid.