To think that jury service selection isn't random at all

[Teddybeau1988]

I have just received a letter summoning me for jury service. I'm really looking forward to it. They will cover wages and travel, and also feed you for the days your there. I spent three weeks on a trial a few years ago and found it really interesting.

A few of the other jurors had been picked before. Has anyone else been picked multiple times?

Lonny yes, I'm in Scotland, been called 3 times for Sheriff Court although never actually ended up on a jury. I know my employer has a policy of paying staff for the first few days of service, it must be easier than going through reclaims and payroll deductions, but I find it shocking that people could lose out so significantly. Yes, it us a civic duty, but people shouldn't be losing out that much.

I was called a few years ago. The case was pretty interesting - assault, minor injuries, so nothing disturbing. But it only lasted 4 days and so had 6 days of hanging around doing nothing.
I really got on with the other jurors so it wasn't a bad experience at all. I had no DC to worry about then though.

Interesting thread. I carried out jury service in 1994 - a fraud case at the Crown Court which lasted just under two weeks before we were dismissed. I found the setting very awe inspiring and the people very interesting, if not a motley crew. Several people had done service before, one young man in his 20s had already served 3 times. One old lady couldn't hear a thing but wasn't inclined to notify the court clerk. The lady I sat next to discretely did her tapestry in the court - she was a lady who lunched but never ate breakfast and her stomach rumbled all morning in court. Once was enough though. My dad was called up and couldn't follow a thing which was a bit worrying (only found out that later). it seems if you REALLY want to do it you'll never get called. Both employers I've worked for in the last 20 years have had loads of people coming and going on jury service - seems to happen more frequently in London.

They must have changed it from the first and second times I did it (or rather, the 2nd time I was called) as it definitely said 5 years then - which was why I was able to put it off until the September (and the Scottish CAB website still says 5 years).

....so I should be grateful that I've not been called more regularly since then

Hopefully with all these new people on the electoral register, the odds of being called will be reduced!

I've been lucky when I've been called: my work always paid so I wasn't out of pocket.

I also always, when you get the "pre-notice" at the end of the year before and are asked for dates you won't be available, put down the dates for all the school holidays (including the extra days when I get permission from the school for ds to go to cycle races).

I would love to do jury service.

I've seen several trials but always from a working perspective, as a criminal lawyer, so would quite appreciate seeing it from the other side.

If you will lose £1k to £2k a day and your business collapse I doubt people like that think it's lovely.

I've been called twice but not had to attend either time (you phone the number on the morning and they tell you if you need to go in or not). A bit of a pain to re-scheudle my work though as I'm self-employed so couldn't schedule any client time just in case.

The fact that some people have been called more than once and some never proves that it actually is random.

That sounds pretty hard if you're self-employed.

How does it work with people that work for someone else? Does your company have insurance for such things and pays you your normal salary?

What about eg a part/time worker? If you work 2 days and your employer pays your 2 days abscence? Does the court fund before/after school clubs for your children the days you don't work-or are you expected to pay?

I was called to do it again less than a year after serving for the first time, I just sent back the form with the information about my previous service.

One of the cases I was a juror on involved several children testifying and it was extremely unpleasant watching them being cross-examined. One of them was a teenager and seeing her cry and being (for lack of better description) picked on and needled at by the defence was quite distressing.

Several of the jurors on my trial had just finished a case earlier in the week involving child abuse that had left a toddler with permanent physical and cognitive disabilities. I thought it was wrong that they had had to stay on after something so distressing and do another trial.

While the process as a whole was interesting it was also quite depressing seeing people at their lowest points.

My first time my company paid me the difference between what I would have earned and what I could claim back from the court.

By the second time I was working for a much smaller business and they decided to just keep on paying me, I was stood down after a 4 day trial and I only work 2 days a week in this job, so they only actually lost about a day of my time (I went in on the Friday although I don't normally work it). If I'd been put on a long trial they might have had to rethink a bit, to be honest I'd have probably had to work weekends and keep the job going as I'm the only person who does what I do there.

Having said that I was off for 7 weeks ill once and they managed without me, but it took me about a year to catch up again.

I was called then got picked 15 years ago. Was heavily pregnant at the time.

DH has been called (and has served) three times during the 13 years we've been married. We've lived in the same place throughout and he has ended up at three different courts including Belmarsh.

I was called once, 2 years ago, but was deferred as the start date coincided with the first day of term in a new job - I'm a teacher - and I've not been called again.

I have to admire all of you who have done it. I've had a letter saying I've been selected 3, maybe 4 times. However Scotland, unlike England, kept everyone with a legal background as being ineligible to serve on a jury so I can't even if I wanted to. I remain ineligible whether or not I'm in still in practice.

In fact looking at the huge list of people in Scotland who are ineligible and the long list of people who are eligible but who can ask of right to be excused it's a wonder they can get 15 (it's 15 in Scotland )people.

I am in the US on a green card. Have been here six years and have been selected for jury service at least 8 times. I can't serve because I am not a US citizen. I suspect that every time I send the form back ticking the box that says "Not a US citizen", they put me in the Shirkers box and recall me asap!

I was called bout 12 years ago. A newsagent selling dodgie DVDs , the father of the son who ran the shop took the rap for it. He clearly had no idea what was going on. The next case was an assault by a stepfather on stepdaughter. She had an In print of his trainer in her cheek from a beating. Had a hard time convincing an elderly Asian lady that just because the attacker wore a suit didn't mean he was innocent . Once he was convicted the judge read out a conviction sheet as long as your arm. It included armed robbery.

The only two people I know who have been called do similar jobs to me.

One has been called twice in the past six years. The other had to defer as it was short notice and missing their work would have actually impacted upon the court (they're a specialist witness).

I personally don't think it is as random as it is claimed to be at all.

I don't think it is random at all. I live in Scotland and have been called up for Jury Duty every two years for as long as I can remember, until about three years ago when they started calling me up every year, at about the same date, which I think even their guidelines say they are not supposed to do. I have just received my latest citation. Trouble is that I am sole carer for my elderly parents and I suffer from depression. I have never yet had to actually sit on a jury, but I find the whole thing quite stressful, especially as I feel like they are calling me up on purpose. I know people who have never been called for jury duty, so to be called fairly continuously doesn't seem very random to me. I am even thinking about asking them to send me the records they keep about me to find out if there is something going on!

I've wondered this. It seems odd that so many people get picked more than once.

I was selected years ago, DH was selected for coroner's court just as I was about to drop DS2, they let him off.

This post is from 2014. Jesus wept

I did two trials about 18 months apart, which was at least 25 years ago. DW did one around 37-8 years ago. Mine were both serious assaults, hers was obscene publications. She was on with another young woman, and their tittering over the eyewatering filth discomfited the other male middle aged jurors more than somewhat.

Gah! Zombie!

I've been selected twice to go along and been chosen once for the jury many years ago. Oddly the last time it happened a few of my colleagues also received letters to go along for the selection process in the space of about 6 - 12 months.