[Closed] Jury service..

That would depend entirely on the case at hand and obviously, you would not be allowed to discuss that on the internet (or indeed anywhere else).

plenty of books is the tip I have heard

A twitter account which feeds directly to a thread on STW could be fun. 😀

You turn up. Wait to see if you are needed/selected, then either go home and do the same again for a few days or you're selected for a trial in which case you're needed as long as the trial runs.

A bit like voting, I believe it's the duty of every citizen to do their turn.

Books is the way forward: no mobiles or internet etc allowed.
Depends on the case, some last a few days, some go on for months!

I did a one-day coroner's jury last year which was eerily close being a busman's holiday for me: very tragic case and so sad to see the guy's family there, but actually very interesting for the sort of job i do to see how it looks from the other side of the bench. (well, it was some tables and chairs in a function room in the guildhall but hey ho...)

Did a two week stint (the usual duration) and had a couple of cases. I really enjoyed it but you can see where all the money is wasted 😯

A quick google will suggest ways to get out of it if you want to.

Personally I'd be quite interested in it, but then horror stories of 7 month fraud trials makes you think...

I did 2 weeks jury service a few years ago.

1st week was as boring as hell, a lot of sitting around doing nothing from day 1 to day 3,didn't get on a trial 'till day 4, Thursday, & that lasted all of 30 mins as the offender changed his plea to guilty at the last minute. Got there on Friday, sat around 'till lunchtime, then we all got sent home as no trials were going to start at that time.

2nd week was totally different, on a trial from early Monday right through to Friday.

The money was good though! Got my work wages paid, but not taxed on them, was also given travelling & lunch expenses too. £££'s up by the end of the fortnight.

Most cases last about a week, if you are unlucky you will get a fraud case that could go on for months.
It's very dull.

if you are unlucky you will get a fraud case that could go on for months.

I believe that you're asked prior to the case whether you'd be available for that length of time.

I believe that you're asked prior to the case whether you'd be available for that length of time.

Makes you wonder just what sort of unhinged people say 'yes' to such a question, and whether you really want them passing a verdict in a justice system!

pensioners 🙂

Guy at my old work did about 9 months at a london fraud trial, thing is if i was at a trial that long i would of forgotten everything i had heard in one week by about 2 weeks later, even the summing up must of taken days

Usually it's 2 weeks but can be up to 180 days!!! You can ask to be moved to a later date. I was asked last year, and postponed it to this year but as I work on a commission only basis, they have let me off with doing it this year 🙂
Not sure the money is that great, especially if you are on the jury for more than the 2 weeks, depends on your boss though! The expenses I would have received would not have come close to the salary I could earn by working

I understand that they can demand you do this, but the payment is capped. I'd imagine if I had to do more than a few weeks it would bankrupt me (I work for myself) - what are the rules surrounding this?

done but our foreman was one of the thickest most right wing people I have ever met [ I am not saying the two were connected but he had both by the bucket load]. He would have convicted anyone of anything and did not really require a trail to delay hDid is verdict. It did not fill me with faith if I ever need to be judged by my peers. Interesting but frustrating. When you are not at trial it is dull.

Did jury service a few years ago at Kingston Crown court. Got selected for a jury on the first day, but didn't get into court, in court on the second and third day, the fourth day a juror was ill so we went home on the fifth day back into court only to see the case dismissed on a technicality...the jury would have delivered a not guilty verdict anyway.

The second week was a bank holiday, followed by the Queens birthday so the court was closed for that. Spent a couple of days in the jurors lounge which was alright as the jury I served on stuck together in a group and we did get a bit loud, got called on the final day, but not selected this time and that was that.

Observations: lot's of faffing about, point of law stuff where the jury has to leave the court. The prosecution case on the trial was just shockingly bad.

How does the income compensation work? What if you have next to no income, do you get next to no compensation?

Be aware that you don't know what you will get, it could be something horrific. And you may be tied down for ages. However you may get out of it if you can persuade them that you are not suitable.

I was selected a few years ago. Maximum tedium.

I think the worst part was they would not pay parking, Only bus travel or train. There was no train and the bus was over and hour and a half for what was in reality a 40 min drive.

The Barristers seemed more interested in scoring points off one another with what I suppose were in jokes than anything else. The exception being the legal aid bloke that seemed unable to remember what he was supposed to be doing as he bumbled and stammered his way through having his client locked up. Actually, it may not have been incompetence. He was a nasty little scrote and deserved being locked up!

I had a letter requesting my services last year, however as a mentalist I was excused. I am a very forgiving person. I'm not sure if that would have been good or bad.

I did it a few years ago, the week before christmas. As it happens, the system resets in the new year, so I only had to do one week, and we were told not to go in on the friday. Lucky really as it was the most tedious 4 days of my entire life. I was only young too, so no one even spoke to me.

I'd imagine it'd be interesting if you got on a case early on, but as I didn't get to see any, it was just 4 days staring at the wall.

Did get a Christmas dinner one day though.

The defendant in my second case turned up late after a night on the razz then fell asleep in the dock. The judge fella wasn't too impressed 🙂

Reply to TheArtist, as I said above, I work on commission only (so if I don't work, I don't get paid), so I wrote to them, explained my situation and they have excused me from jury service

If you get chosen on a week the 'circuit' judges are in town (Only sit on really serious cases -murder,rape etc) then could be a long job. Otherwise much as others have said - waiting, faff possible selection and over in 2 weeks. Interesting and a bit scary.

How does the compensation work if you are self employed?

Did this a few years ago. 3 month attempted murder case. I found it quite interesting, but hard going at times. Fascinating to witness how these things work, but deeply disturbing seeing the weakness of Jury's. I am as a result deeply sceptical of the virtues of trial by (disinterested) jury.
As the case was long I was exempt more jury service for 5 years, however as I'm now mental, that will be my one and only experience of jury service.
Annoyances include, being kept waiting constantly by the courtroom (there's lots you don't get to hear, points of law etc), no parking (I cycled), poor food, having bag searched every single day.

plenty of books is the tip I have heard

+1

I got called to do it at 21. They were trying to put together a huge case at the time. This went on for 2 weeks and i never actually got to go into court 🙁 So sat around for 2 weeks

Do it, it's hard to avoid and a hugely valuable part of our system . I have had two recent cases which drummed home how valuable our system is , both were what i perceived to be hanging jury's that would hate our client. Both were very emotive cases and i feared sympathy with the alleged victim would lead to a guilty verdict despite the poor evidence. In both cases the jury clearly did their job and considered the evidence dispassionately and defied my expectations. The only case in twenty two years I'm sure the jury got wrong went to a retrial and the second jury convicted too so may be that's my judgement not theirs .

There will be lots of delays and normally there is very good reason for that. so a good book or six is a valuable investment.

You can not get out of a long fraud or murder case just by reason of it being inconvenient but if you are called for a long case you may have a word with the judge and explain any difficulty and he may release you.

It did not fill me with faith if I ever need to be judged by my peers.

Junkyard, don't worry they'd never find 12 of them

I'd imagine if I had to do more than a few weeks it would bankrupt me (I work for myself) - what are the rules surrounding this?

I would like to do it though 🙂

As Crankboy says really! be prepared to not just sit on "boring" jobs but get something quite deep with evidence or alternatively "gruesome" I guess. Good luck though as there is lots of sitting around getting bored!

I sat around for 4 days, then got on a 3-day trial with a jury made up of:
1)people who thought the defendant needed a hug, or
2)people who thought he should be hung.

I was sent home on the Monday of the second week as there weren't enough trials scheduled.

Juries are made up of 12 people selected from a pool of 16. All 16 are invited into the courtroom for random selection but first the judge asks whether any of the jury know any of the people involved, including witnesses. Anyone who knows anything is discharged. The 12 are then selected at random from those left over.

I wasn't chosen for a case and was glad of it as the witnesses were social workers, teachers, paediatricians and policemen. That can't have been pleasant.

I was a juror at a rape trial. I don't know what was more frightening: the two male jurors who thought the guy was guilty before we'd heard any evidence because he was Turkish "and you know how they treat their women", or the way I felt after the majority found him guilty, when I was so sure he was innocent.

I actually found it pretty harrowing afterwards, thinking I should have tried to influence the rest of the jurors more as I was so sure they were wrong (he was later acquitted on appeal).

Junkyard, don't worry they'd never find 12 of them

I lost out big time as the compensation is capped and like someone else said they won't pay for parking so I ended up turning a 35minute journey by car into a 1 1/2 hour train journey plus a 10minute car journey funded by me.

Still as others have said it is your duty and if you want a decent justice system its a small price to pay.

Was boring for most of it though, spent 2 days in court out of 10 🙁

Bazzer