[Closed] Avoiding Jury Service

Short of getting a swastika tattooed on her forehead

If it worked 18 years ago it should work again now - I'm surprised the last one wore off

I think they'd be pretty understanding about being part of a business that has only just been able to reopen.

Needing to breastfeed a baby got my Mrs out of it 16 years ago.

“Dear Your Honour,

Thank you for this opportunity to do jury service. I have been waiting years for the chance to put criminals behind bars and I look forward to delivering as many guilty verdicts as possible.

See you soon,

Mrs Zip”

Just ask for a deferral and see what happens.

Needing to breastfeed a baby got my Mrs out of it 16 years ago.

Probably less embarrassing to get the tattoo than try and use 'needing to breast feed a teenager' if she gets called up again now

Write to them and explain that her presence at the business is essential. See para 11 on page 5 of the guidance considered by summoning officers here:

Always helpful to quote some of the words used in this back at them when she applies to be excused.

Curto80. That's very promising ,you are a star.
STW to the rescue again.

Having done jury service - an my employer, who was German stop paying me during it ( in Germany, you get paid for the jury time by the state), I understand the hassle factor. But if nobody did jury service, then we wouldn't have juries.

You can ask for a deferment - but I wouldn't trump up a sob story. They are quite reasonable TBH, until they think the piss is being taken.

MrsMC has got called up. It clashes with a couple of her work cases that are due in the same courts in the same period, but her boss has agreed to get someone to cover her cases so she can get jury service out the way before her own court schedule goes properly mental.

Obviously much more complicated for anyone who is self employed.

With the huge backlog in court cases after Covid, I guess we can all expect the call as they try and push stuff through. The whole judicial system was broken due years of under resourcing pre-Covid, trying to get timely justice for victims and the accused in the next few years is going to be a nightmare.

They recently called up my 75-year-old mum - for the third time.

She's been shielding since March last year, I haven't seen her since last July, and the only way she could have got to the court was by bus.

She was terrified.

In the end she called her GP who thankfully provided her with a letter excusing her from her 'duties'.

Absolutely bonkers situation for her to have been in.

They recently called up my 75-year-old mum – for the third time.

She’s been shielding...

...Absolutely bonkers situation for her to have been in

Given jurors are randomly selected from the electoral roll - they have no idea if it’s first or tenth time, nor do they have access to medical records to know who is shielding.

Not sure what’s bonkers about it? It’s not like she tried to get out of it and they insisted she come? How do you suggest they get juries without inviting some people who are unlikely to be able to come in the current circumstances? I’m not sure if they have had to increase numbers but since anyone determined to dodge it only has to call up and say they have a temperature and they’ll be told not to come and book a test (which probably doesn’t come back quick enough to join the next jury) I suspect they may find they need more people!

You could of course just use the people on Twitter who preach that “it’s just flu” and it’s ridiculous that the country has shutdown... but I’m not sure I’d want to be judged by 12 of them!

Worst case scenario when you see the accused if you look down your nose and tut loudly while wearing a suit you quickly find out you didn’t get selected

I have only been called up once and was actually looking forward to a few days off work , when I heard the charge sheet the fella had more charges against him than Billy the kid . Also some pretty grisly stuff. I told the woman I was awaiting an operation which I had actually knocked back once before . She seemed quite perturbed and asked loudly what the op was . I told her It was a circumcision which was true , she went very red and told me I was dismissed. Still fancy a couple of days of work though.

When you are selected for jury service, the judge will question each one of you about your suitability. I could only serve on a case that would run fro two weeks or less - as I had a work trip to Moscow straight after that.
Hence I was excluded from the first case that went on for about 3 months in the end.

If everyone tries to get off jury service, then those serving on the jury will not be representative of the population. It needs to be random, and for people to do public duty for it to work.

How would you feel if you were the victim wanting justice and nobody could be bothered.
It is an interesting (if shocking) experience.

'As a lifelong anarchist, I will be impelled to find each and every accused not guilty, Your Honour.

Surely some bright spark should be calling up people dossing on furlough en masse

If everyone tries to get off jury service, then those serving on the jury will not be representative of the population. It needs to be random, and for people to do public duty for it to work.

How would you feel if you were the victim wanting justice and nobody could be bothered.
It is an interesting (if shocking) experience.

Honestly, the jury system is a relic of a bygone era. It would simply be much better to have a panel of judges review the evidence in serious crimes.

IIRC you can defer for 2 years.

It shouldn’t be that big a deal to do so I’d hope, however, she will be liable to attend at some point within 2 yrs of her deferral.

Honestly, the jury system is a relic of a bygone era. It would simply be much better to have a panel of judges review the evidence in serious crimes.

How so?

Can barristers still de-select jurors? I was told by a barrister to not be seen carrying a quality newspaper or wear smart clothes. A middle aged fellow juror (an actress off the Archers no less) in a tweedy suit was objected to and off she went. That process also makes juries unrepresentative.

My father was called up twice, whilst self-employed, both at colossally bad moments for his business, and was able to defer.

‘As an ex prison officer of sixteen years servicea lifelong anarchist, I will be impelled to find each and every accused not guilty, Your Honour.

as I can tell by looking.

I think they’d be pretty understanding about being part of a business that has only just been able to reopen.

The phrases 'legal system’ and ‘understanding’ in one sentence seems pretty optimistic. I believe in the jury system because I have met enough people who are currently judges to know we aren’t there yet with them being a representative cross section of society.

I realise that underfunding, particularly of the CPS and the legal aid system, has a huge part of the problems but the current system seems to be hugely biased in favour of the bureaucratic timetable rather than people caught up, if only as witnesses, in the system

If I was still employed by someone else I'd jump at the chance of doing jury service.
These days it would be impossible.

Honestly, the jury system is a relic of a bygone era. It would simply be much better to have a panel of judges review the evidence in serious crimes.

Honestly, in my experience as a juror, it doesn't come down to the evidence as there often isn't anything conclusive either way. It comes down to who you believe.

For the record, I've been on juries that have both convicted and acquitted the accused.

I've also deferred for 6 months because I was working away. They are pretty accommodating TBH - they don't want people who don't want to be there (edit: if they can help it)

Can barristers still de-select jurors? I was told by a barrister to not be seen carrying a quality newspaper or wear smart clothes. A middle aged fellow juror (an actress off the Archers no less) in a tweedy suit was objected to and off she went. That process also makes juries unrepresentative.

Rings a bell but truthfully I don’t fully recall how it worked out. I think the accused can reject a jury but not the barrister..

Juror challenging;

Tldr -Only in exceptional cases and not because you’re reading the Guardian or own a suit;

The methods of replacing one or more of the prospective jurors called into the box are:

For the prosecution to ask a juror to Stand By.
For either the prosecution or the defence to Challenge for Cause.
For the judge to use his discretionary power to remove a juror.
Prosecution to ask a juror to Stand By
The circumstances in which it would be proper for the Crown to exercise its right to Stand By a member of the jury panel are:

To remove a manifestly unsuitable juror, but only if the defence agree. An example of the sort of exceptional circumstances which might justify Stand By is where it becomes apparent that the juror selected for service to try a complex case is in fact illiterate or would for any reason find it difficult to follow the case.
To remove a juror in a terrorist or security case in which the Attorney General has authorised a check of the jury list, but only on the authority of the Attorney General and where the information afford strong reasons for believing that a particular juror might be a security risk, be susceptible to improper approaches or be influenced in arriving at a verdict.
Challenges for Cause
This can be made by either the prosecution or defence and may either be a challenge to the whole panel of jurors (challenges to the array) or to an individual juror (challenges to the polls).

Whilst the common law power of challenges to the array is preserved by the Juries Act 1974, it is now almost inoperative and is of historical significance only.

With regards to challenges to the polls, a juror can be challenged on the grounds of bias, which would cause him to be unsuitable to try the case. For example, where he has expressed hostility to one side or connected to one side in some way.

Procedure:

Any challenges for cause shall be tried by the judge before whom the accused is to be tried. See Section 12(1)(b) of the Juries Act 1974.
The challenge must be lodged before the juror is sworn (Rule 25.8 of the Criminal Procedure Rules) and cannot be exercised during the course of the trial. See the case of Morris (1991) 93 Cr App R 102.
The burden of proof is on the challenging party and the judge may order that the hearing shall be in camera or in chambers. See Section 118(2) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
The challenging party must provide prima facie evidence at the time that the challenge is made. This approach was confirmed in the case of Chandler(No 2) [1964] 2 QB 322.
Judges’ discretionary power to remove a juror
The judge has a residual discretion to exclude a juror selected by the initial ballot. The discretion should be exercised where an individual juror is incompetent to act but counsel do not challenge or exercise the right of stand by. For example, when a judge notices that a member of the panel is infirm or has difficulty in reading or hearing. This residual discretion was confirmed by the Court of Appeal in the case of Ford [1989] QB 868.

However, the Court also confirmed that judicial intervention should not undermine the random nature of jury selection or influence the overall racial composition of the jury. The Court held that the trial judge was right to conclude that he should not order a multiracial jury to be empanelled.

I'd take a look at whatever the list of exemptions is and try to find something that fits, even tenuously.
Alternatively ask your doctor to write you a note claiming depression or some other such thing.

From the gov site -
"You might be able to change the date of your jury service to another date within the next 12 months. You’ll need a good reason, for example:

you’re an essential worker
you’re having an operation
you’re sitting an exam
your employer will not give you time off work
you have a holiday booked

You can only ask to change the date once.

To change the date, reply to your jury summons giving your reason. When you reply you can suggest 3 possible dates in the next 12 months that work for you. "

I really have pity for anyone being asked. It could be fraud case or something where the victim hasn't been harmed fraud and the like,and i suppose that's a bonus but there's also the possibility it does involve harm,death or abuse, and that can have a lasting effect.

Alternatively, you could be Henry Fonda and see what nobody else is seeing 😕

It shouldn't be an issue to defer, ahead of time. But once you're there it's game on like Kilo posted above - I don't think jury selection with the defence barrister running the rule over you is a thing in the UK. There's an element of just grasping the nettle and doing it - there's never a great time to do jury service for most people.

I did one in Edinburgh that was 3 days, done. But one in Liverpool lasted many weeks - so the time commitment could be luck of the draw.

Honestly, the jury system is a relic of a bygone era. It would simply be much better to have a panel of judges review the evidence in serious crimes.

Do you say that from the perspective of the accused or the prosecutor?

Honestly, the jury system is a relic of a bygone era. It would simply be much better to have a panel of judges review the evidence in serious crimes.

I agree with you, and I suggested the same thing on this forum some years ago. The majority however thought that juries were a good thing.

I've wanted to be called up for jury service for several years, but have never been called up. I think it's one of the fairest and most impartial way to ensuring justice having a random selection of people decide the outcome of a trial.

I’ve wanted to be called up for jury service for several years, but have never been called up. I think it’s one of the fairest and most impartial way to ensuring justice having a random selection of people decide the outcome of a trial.

Every time I see someone reading the Daily Express / Mail I really hope they never get called up for Jury service esp with a non white defendant. They've been fed racist hatred and bilge day in day out their whole lives and then we put them in charge of someone's liberty?

I think it's complete madness. No wonder white middle class people have the lowest conviction rates...

Tell her to tell them to call me. I was once called for service a few weeks before I gained British citizenship, and so wasn’t eligible. That was 15 or so years ago, and I haven’t been called since, but I would love to be.

As others have said, defer. I've written a couple of letters for employees who we'd have struggled without due to seasonal work and the timings of JD, they went through unchallenged.

These seem like pretty good reasons to me, just need a bit of finessing 🙂

It will be 2 weeks after our shop reopens and they reckon for 2 weeks minimum.
Obviously this will be a really rubbish time to have her absent. There’s also no way I can run the shop on my own.
She would have to go to the centre of London on public transport and I’m really not happy for her to do that before she has had her jabs.

My brother's deferred at least twice just by having a job booked and sending them a (not exaggerated) breakdown of what it'll cost to hire someone as qualified as he is, to take his place, and a copy of his invoice showing what the loss would be if he has to cancel the job. I don't think any of those things would come under the listed excuses but they've always responded positively.

Every time I see someone reading the Daily Express / Mail I really hope they never get called up for Jury service esp with a non white defendant. They’ve been fed racist hatred and bilge day in day out their whole lives and then we put them in charge of someone’s liberty?

I think it’s complete madness. No wonder white middle class people have the lowest conviction rates…

Have you seen the demographic profile of our judges? Be careful what you wish for.....

I've been called up twice and both times asked not to do it as I'm self employed and work on my own so it would cost me two weeks work. Both times it has not been an issue.

What happens if you just ignore the letters etc ? Can't imagine they have anyone available to come and smash your back door in to see if you are there.

Have you seen the demographic profile of our judges? Be careful what you wish for…..

They might all be white, but I suspect very few read the Daily Hate every day.....

They might all be white, but I suspect very few read the Daily Hate every day…..

More likely to be the Daily Tory/Borisgraph....

@morecashthandash

Have you seen the demographic profile of our judges? Be careful what you wish for….

Are you suggesting that judges follow thr Daily Mail or similar in decisions and sentencing?

That's just another angle on "Enemies of the People"

Are you suggesting that judges follow thr Daily Mail or similar in decisions and sentencing?

That’s just another angle on “Enemies of the People”

No I wasn't, I was trying - and failing, obviously - to point out that judges are not exactly representative of the population in terms of age, gender, race, economic and educational background for those who feel that the jury system was flawed