Jury Service

[jjk]

Just recieved a summons for Jan 2nd Im quite nervous as I have no Idea what to expect Have any of you done Jury service?

 

[natalielongstaff]

ive never done it...but i would love to do it let us know how you get on

 

[pokemon_master]

No ideas here either unfortunately. Good luck, and be sure to listen very carefully.

 

[CustardTart]

Good luck! I've never been asked but last summer both my DH and DS21 were summoned! Different courts and different dates but both of them quite enjoyed it - tho' for DH I think it was because he had 2 weeks away from work in the summer!

From what they said, it sounded quite disorganised with lots of hanging around - so take definitely a book and iPod! It seems loads of potential jurors turn up and you wait to get called to a case, but there's no guarantee you will on that day. They were sent away a couple of times and had to call in to see if they were still required. DH was a juror on two cases but, as the one got thrown out and the other was over in a day, it was a more of a holiday for him than anything...

 

[carolfoy]

I don't envy you at all, personally I'd hate to do it, who am I to stand judgement on someone? very scary, I used to be able to get out of it when I worked for a newspaper but am no longer eligible to be waived, dreading that I may be called. A colleague did it last year and said everyone was so desperate to go home they were all saying they'd go along with everyone elses view not really the point of it at all!

 

[Deedee]

I would hate it aswell my DM did it a few years ago and was quite nervous

 

[mandymouse]

I think I was 20 when I was asked to do Jury Service. It was a real pain though, we spent most of the two weeks waiting for a case to come to court and in the end we sat in a really boring trial that was over in a couple of hours

My advice ~ take a good book with you

 

[Joanne UK]

I've done it twice - I think there was about a ten year gap inbetween. There is a lot of hanging around but I have only ever had interesting cases so I really enjoyed it.

 

[Erie Islands]

I've been called twice with only two years in between. The first time I actually got on the jury. It was a two-day embezzlement case...kind of boring. Yes, definitely bring a book or ipod. Wear nice but comfortable clothes because your trial could start right away as mine did and you could end up being there for several hours. First the judge will ask questions to the whole group and then each lawyer gets to ask individual questions to each juror as they are called. Nothing too personal, usually they were questions referring to people's jobs. They have that sheet of paper that you filled out and sent back, so their questions are coming from that. I really enjoyed it and it's something I take very seriously as I wish everyone would. When we found this person "not guilty" she broke down in tears and I think we all really felt that we had made the right decision. It was a good feeling and make me proud to live in this country.

 

[ely3857]

I have never done it but Gavin did a few years ago. He did a week on a jury that found a man not guilty of causing a baby brain damage.

Gavin said only him and another man in the jury were prepared to hash out the case as all the others, all women said he was guilty straight away but as they needed a unanimous decision to start off with they managed to get everyone else to sit and talk about it.

The man may have caused this damage but there was 'reasonable doubt'. The injury's could have been caused upto 24 hours prior to the baby been left with the man who was babysitting, he had looked after the child and it's sibling many times with his own kids while the two wives, mother of the baby and the accused's spouse went shopping.



Jodie

 

[wickesy]

Never done it myself as I was a criminal defence lawyer so I was ineligible.

Strangely I used to get quite a buzz when the jury came back and were asked for their verdict.

 

[daipp]

I've done it. You spend ages sitting around doing nothing until you are needed. I did two cases (both guilty!!).

If I had ben there the following week I would have possibly ended up on a (infamous) nine week murder trial.

I was in court last week as a Professional Witness and the jury looked bored to tears (it was a re-trial).

David

 

[Cyrano]

A colleague did it last year and said everyone was so desperate to go home they were all saying they'd go along with everyone elses view not really the point of it at all!

and then we wonder why the courts don't act as a deterrent.

OP hope you feel comfortable being on the jury

 

[Graeme]

I once went to court as a witness and spent three days there, the jury failed to reach a verdict and I went back for the re-trial. The jury acquitted him within half an hour. I saw one of the jurors a few weeks later and asked why they were so sure he wasn't guilty. (I'd watched him do what he was accused of).
She told me that they were all bored and wanted to get home for the weekend so they thought it was easier just to acquit than to deliberate.
Makes me feel ashamed of our system every time I think of it.

 

[Boo Boo Too]

I once went to court as a witness and spent three days there, the jury failed to reach a verdict and I went back for the re-trial. The jury acquitted him within half an hour. I saw one of the jurors a few weeks later and asked why they were so sure he wasn't guilty. (I'd watched him do what he was accused of).
She told me that they were all bored and wanted to get home for the weekend so they thought it was easier just to acquit than to deliberate.
Makes me feel ashamed of our system every time I think of it.

Good grief, how awful!

Personally, I hope that "what goes around comes around"... not only for criminals, but for jury members and anyone with a "job" to do...

...serving on a jury is a HUGE responsibility.

Boo

 

[Chilly]

I once went to court as a witness and spent three days there, the jury failed to reach a verdict and I went back for the re-trial. The jury acquitted him within half an hour. I saw one of the jurors a few weeks later and asked why they were so sure he wasn't guilty. (I'd watched him do what he was accused of).
She told me that they were all bored and wanted to get home for the weekend so they thought it was easier just to acquit than to deliberate.
Makes me feel ashamed of our system every time I think of it.

What is the world coming to when a person will let a criminal walk free so that they can get home a bit earlier. I wonder how the juror would feel if they or a member of their family was a victim of crime and the person set free because the jury wanted to leave early.

My Dad did Jury service a few years ago, he only sat on one case about fraud I think. I would be happy to do it more than once if it meant proper justice rather then jurors who don't care.

 

[Minniespal]

What is the world coming to when a person will let a criminal walk free so that they can get home a bit earlier

 

[Cyrano]

What is the world coming to when a person will let a criminal walk free so that they can get home a bit earlier. I wonder how the juror would feel if they or a member of their family was a victim of crime and the person set free because the jury wanted to leave early.

My Dad did Jury service a few years ago, he only sat on one case about fraud I think. I would be happy to do it more than once if it meant proper justice rather then jurors who don't care.

Agree with both points

 

[Queenie]

Funny this topic should come up as my OH is currently sitting in a trial as part of the jury as I type! He started last week but was never called in to a trial, he actually was told not to come in on Thurs and Fri as there were no new trials starting - huge sigh of relief as he's been dreading doing this since he got the summons. Yesterday afternoon he finally got called so that one's carrying on today. He almost got put on the big BNP racial hatred trial that's running here but as that's likely to carry on for a few weeks they excused people with jobs that would be affected by being away that long (would have doubled the length of time he was out of work) and as he's a senior manager in the hospitals they're struggling enough letting him go for two.