Tell me about your jury service experiences

[Ricekrispie22]

How many days?
How long was your day?

I was on jury duty several years ago. On the first day everyone in our group came into court. The jurors have their own waiting lounge with a cafeteria. We were told the rules and what to expect. I was home by lunchtime.

You're given a phone number to ring each day at 3pm. It goes to an answer phone that lists your juror number and if you need to come in the next day or not. If you don't you ring the next day at 3.

I went in the next day. Went into a courtroom, but not everyone gets picked to stay for that trial. Me and several others went home.

Couple of days I wasn't needed. A major pain as I had organised childcare. But didn't actually need it, leaving everyone in limbo to what was happening the following day until 3pm.

Finally picked for a trial. Nothing happened the first day. The next I arrived but another jouror had rung in sick, so the whole day was put on hold for everyone. 3 days of trial. It was going on for a lot longer than first expected. Another juror had a holiday booked and another was moving house so wouldn't be available for the following week. So the whole case got thrown out and rebooked to start with a new jury from the beginning.

It was tedious and lots a waiting about. Most days I was home by 4pm.

I was picked for a murder trial on the first morning. It lasted 15 days and was one of the most interesting and intense experiences of my life. The days were quite short, 9.30-4ish IIRC.

I did it about 15 years ago.
I turned up every day and had to wait a couple of days to be called for a case. 15 people are called and then 12 selected. Of the people who were not called or didn’t make it to a case they were sent home. My case lasted just over a week. There was a lot of sitting about. Take a book.

One thing I did notice was that there were a lot of people there on the first day, only the people who got called stayed for the two week so I guess some people were just sent home. It is meant to be random who was called but I did notice that the people who were not smartly dressed seemed to be sent home.

@FlamingoAndJohn I wonder if certain cases favour different type of jurors.

I was rejected, wearing office wear, along with a few middle aged, white men in nice suits.

I did it a few years ago now. Loads of sitting around initially. Got picked for a case which lasted 5 days. 2 evil people who we put away. I enjoyed looking at their smug faces changing as they realised that they were going to prison for a long time. People on the jury were a real cross section with one or two bleeding hearts, a couple of black and white types and an 'oh I expect they've got learning difficulties' type. In the end the evidence was overwhelmingly in favour of a guilty verdict. Very interesting but a great deal of hanging around.

About 15 years ago. Horrible case, man set his ex's house on fire after their (abusive) relationship ended.

Lots of waiting around, this was pre smartphones and our group of jurors bonded quite well. My other abiding memory is one juror being contrary for the sake of it. It was a clear cut case. I think he thought he was in 12 Angry Men or something. He gave in just as we were thinking we'd have to come back for another day of deliberations.

After the guilty verdict was read the judge disclosed some further evidence that had been inadmissible that showed the man had threatened to do what he did in letters to his ex before he'd actually done it. Found it reassuring, definitely the right verdict.

Sorry didn't answer your questions 15 days, I think 9-430

Our jury bonded really well too, it was strange to walk away and never see each other again.

Three years ago.

You have to turn up daily, they tell you what time. You will sit in a waiting room with other people, you may be picked to sit on a jury at trial or not. If you are, you will be asked to declare any potential conflict of interest.

It's interesting when you are picked, otherwise definitely take a good book, lots of coffee with you and be prepared for long, boring days.

You'll have to avoid reading about current criminal trials not to compromise your impartiality as well. They'll give you full guidance. Overall, it's an interesting experience.

Keep in mind it may last few days if you're not picked at all or your trials are short or you might be picked for a major six-week or longer murder trial and you'll have to be there throughout.

I did it a few years ago. Lots of sitting around for 2 days, then got picked for a case, sworn in but then one juror became clearly far too anxious to be serving in a jury so we were ditched and sent back. Got sent home early a couple of days when we weren't picked. Second week I got on a trial, lasted 5 days so Monday to Friday, but it could have been longer. They do warn you that it might go over 2 weeks if the trial hasn't finished.
I really enjoyed it. Deliberation was interesting and frustrating equally but it didn't take too many hours to come to a consensus. It wasn't an unpleasant crime (cannabis farm) so it wasn't upsetting.

Done it twice. First time narrowly avoided a three month case at the High Court (was called to Old Bailey) as I knew one of the solicitors. Then ended up on a rape case which lasted 5 days, 9.30-4pm. Was dismissed completely after that.

Second time was at a different court and on two different cases - one tax disc fraud (very boring) and the other a different type of fraud. I was there two weeks but only on a jury for around 6 days in total. The rest of the time was sitting around. 10-4pm.

Was called a third time, had a young baby and was breast feeding at the time so asked to be excused. This was refused so wrote a note to say I'd be bringing my baby who would need to be with me and I hoped they would accommodate breaks for a breastfeeding mother. Funnily enough I got a phone call from the Clerk saying that "on this occasion" I could defer. I haven't been called since!

Both times I found it really interesting and also to see what sort of people make up juries (some are frightening in their views). I was foreman for the rape trial (not guilty), again an interesting experience. I had a very civic minded employer for both who was happy for me to do my duty, and I was happy to be able to do it too.

Meant to say, around 45 jurors were seen for the long case. Those who were excused were the ones who had holidays booked. Others, who I thought had greater need to be excused were not allowed to. The judge was quite brutal, I thought.

I’d really like to do it - but I’ve been called three times now twice when I was just about to give birth/had a very young baby. Third time was selected for a long trial, first day I realised I knew the assistant barrister from six form college and they had to de-select me!

I did it last year. My first time.
I was really lucky. Part of the first group called and was then on the same Jury that went out to make our decision on the Thursday of the 2nd week. We were told we didn't need to come back on the Friday.
I found it interesting.
However, talked to people who had just sat around all week who never got on to a case.
Everyone told me I would find it incredibly frustrating and annoying at the amount of public funds being spent on so many people sitting around all day, and how 'labour intensive' it is.
Once we were on the case I don't think we ever had to be there before 9.30, and sometimes it was 10 or 10.30. Sometimes released at about 2.30, usually at about 4pm, s not long days at all which is another huge waste of money, although I'm sure there must be good reasons for it.

I thought it might be interesting but all I did was sit around waiting.
Didn't sit on a jury.
Had to go in daily and sit on uncomfortable chairs in an over hot room. Impossible to get wifi or work. Masses of peoples time being wasted, in this age of technology there must be a better way of organizing it.

@backforGood it's a huge waste of money. We were told to buy a full day's car park ticket, which I can understand they don't want people asking to leave to buy another ticket or getting a fine. But we were also encouraged to use up our days food allowance, even if we went home before lunch. We would spend our £5 on food to take home.

I did it when I was 21. It was an horrific case and lasted 6 weeks. I was quite surprised when after it we were just thanked and sent on our way. No discussion about any help our counselling for the things we'd seen or heard. The only nod toward how it was was the judge saying if he could excuse us from jury duty ever again he would, but he couldn't so he would just try to do something that meant we didn't need to do it again for at least 10 years.

Take a book or two as there can be a lot of waiting about. A bottle of water too (I don't know what it's like not, but then they wanted you to take sealed bottles rather than one you had refilled). I also lived on polo mints as at the time I was a gum chewer when I was nervous but that wasn't allowed. I also took a sandwich most days as there was a really set menu for the lunch and by week 3/4 I was sick of macaroni or curry every day.

I've done it. There is a lot of sitting around (as others have said). The case I sat on lasted just over a week and was extremely dull. Also, you do realise just how inefficient the system is.

I was quite surprised when after it we were just thanked and sent on our way. No discussion about any help our counselling for the things we'd seen or heard.

I felt that too. I realise now that I reacted quite badly to the case I was on. I think there should have been at least a number to call or some kind of ‘debrief’.

I did it 3 years ago. I went in on day 1, hung around til 3 when we were dismissed for the day and told not to come back til the Wednesday. Went in on the Wednesday, went down to the courtroom, but then wasn't actually selected to be on the jury. So I was dismissed again til the following Monday. On the Friday I had a phone call telling me they wouldn't need me at all. Rather an anti climax. Apparently a lot of the defendants changed their pleas to guilty before they got to court, so they didn't need jurors.

I've done it once, in my ealy 20s.Was selected straight away for a case (receiving stolen goods), which was done and dusted in two days, then no longer needed.

It was interesting to see the court "machine" in action, but as others have said, there was a lot of sitting about on uncomfortable chairs. The days were pretty short (out by 3.30pm), not much time actually spent in the court itself. The selected jury was the usual mixed bag, with about a third of the people engaged and making intelligent deductions, a few just sitting there mute, and one or two who clearly hadn't grasped the concept ("well, she looks like a guilty person to me").

I felt that too. I realise now that I reacted quite badly to the case I was on. I think there should have been at least a number to call or some kind of ‘debrief’.

Completely. I was quite lucky as I had had counselling previously because of childhood abuse so I could ring up and ask for an appointment, but we were totally just left to it.

I did it 2 years ago. Called to judge and picked for jury.
Two weeks murder case. The judge was very considerate of the jury. We had frequent breaks. We were given information on having counselling after the case. They were found guilty after 3 days considering our verdict. That was the most frustrating part. There were 4 ditherers.
The judge invited us back to the sentencing. 8 of the 12 returned to hear the sentence.
Very stressful but one of the most interesting things I’ve done.

Yes, it is weird at the end when they just let you out and off you go, having just spent 2 weeks completely absorbed in the trial, it felt very strange to just walk away and never see any of the other jurors again. Even though my case was a murder, it wasn't overly traumatic at the time, however I would say it was at least a year before I stopped thinking about it on a daily basis. Still do 12 years later if I see the town where it happened mentioned. I had to drive through it a couple of years ago and found myself looking out for the street, shops and pub where the events leading up to it took place.

It was about 3 years ago. I was there everyday for the 2 weeks except the last day. We had to be there at 9am and left between 4 and 5 I think. Everyone said it would be just lots of waiting around, and I thought that would be great because I had stuff to do for work and lots of books to read and relished waiting round in peace without small children. I was picked for a trial within a couple of hours of being there which took over a week, so only a few days of waiting to see if I would be on a second trial afterwards.
Like others have said, the trial was harrowing (it was to do with sexual abuse of children), and I was surprised that there was no debrief or anything afterwards as we couldn't discuss what we had heard with anyone outside the court system. Most of us on the jury went back for the sentencing and there was a sense that justice was done for the victims in the case, but it was hard.