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Original poster

Jury service - what do I need to know?

140 replies

C1239 · 27/06/2023 19:26

I’ve been called for jury service in a couple of months time, just wondering for those of you who have done it before what would your top advice be? I’ve heard there can be some waiting around so take a book. During the two weeks if you aren’t required one day do you go to work as normal? What if you are only in court for half a day do you then go to work, do they tell you work when you are and aren’t in?!

OP posts:
Delphigirl · 27/06/2023 19:30

So firstly you may be needed for more than 2 weeks. Your work has to release you for as long as it takes. Secondly, you may be waiting around a lot and then released mid morning and told to come back the next day, or you may have a day or so break in a trial. Up to you if you go back to work in that time. There is no communication from court to your work it is a matter for you.

Original poster
C1239 · 27/06/2023 19:32

Thank you! And at lunchtimes do you know if you are allowed out of the court for a wonder or do you have to remain in court if you are due there in the afternoon? I’m a bit nervous, was a shock when I got the letter!

OP posts:
OneTC · 27/06/2023 19:34

We were allowed out for lunch

DannyLaRuesBestFrock · 27/06/2023 19:37

We weren't allowed out for lunch. But it was years ago when I was summoned.

I found it a total ballache as I couldn't drive at the time and it was about an hour away on the bus.

Ilikewinter · 27/06/2023 19:38

I did it a few years ago now but on the days I wasnt called I was let home around lunch time. I didnt go back to work. Yes you can go out at lunch unless you are deliberating a case. At that point you cannot leave the room (we had a toilet like an ensuite!) and lunch was ordered in for us. The hanging around is very boring, take a book or headphones, or make some new friends!.

Chooba · 27/06/2023 19:38

It's really boring. I spent most of it reading and in and out of various rooms and not actually ending up on a jury. And we did get a lunch break that we could go out in!

At the start of mine they asked if anyone had legitimate reasons they couldn't do a long trial, as they had a big one starting that day; the reasons are similar for being allowed to postpone to another time but it meant a few got ruled out for that trial. I ended up getting sent home the Wednesday lunchtime the first week and they knew they wouldn't have a need for new jurors until the Monday so I went back to work Thursday and Friday.

Tiredmummaoftwo · 27/06/2023 19:46

I found it so very boring. When I did it, you had to get the bus there and back as they wouldn't cover the cost of parking. There's an awful lot of waiting around. Mine only lasted three days as the case was thrown out but the other murder case happening at the same time had been going on for six weeks.

Work didn't want me back if I only did half a day but I obviously went back as soon as my case was thrown out.

HonoriaLucastaDelagardie · 27/06/2023 19:51

Top advice:

Do not discuss the case or the jury deliberations with anyone else.

Do not Google or otherwise look up information about anyone or anything connected with the case you are hearing.

The courts take it very, very seriously if any jury member is found to have done that.

Barelyable · 27/06/2023 19:51

I was fascinated by it but I ended up on three short cases so wasn't really hanging around.
We went out for lunch but the supporters of the accused followed us around which was a bit unnerving!

MummBRaaarrrTheEverLeaking · 27/06/2023 20:05

So much waiting around. And you might not even be chosen; they have a pool of people and you get a number. Then they draw for who will be on the jury. I did two cases and on the second I was the last one chosen, otherwise that would have been ages waiting around for nothing.

I wasn't overly fussed about doing it. My mum and DB find it all fascinating and would love to be chosen but so far they haven't.

Thankfully nothing too horrible or gruesome case wise for me. What I found interesting was the deliberation bit. I usually clam up in a group of people I don't know, but something in me went for it and I really found my voice.

I can't remember if we were allowed out for lunch, I think we were.

DiscoStusMoonboots · 27/06/2023 20:11

I'm going against the grain here, but my jury duty stint was really interesting! I was lucky in that I was called into 2 cases one after the other, so very little time for boredom to kick in. As others have said, take a book, see if you can go out for lunch (they should give you a lunch allowance).

Also, go in with very low expectations of other jury members' ability/willingness to listen. It really tested my patience.One guy on mine spent the whole time daydreaming then, when it came time for us to adjourn, was really miffed that he didn't understand what we were talking about.

Ansjovis · 27/06/2023 20:11

Everyone else has covered most of it so I'll leave it at this: if you do get chosen for a case, make your mental and physical wellbeing a priority during that time. I was assigned to a fairly straightforward two day trial for a relatively low level offence (such that I was surprised the magistrates court hadn't dealt with it) but I found it unexpectedly draining.

DiscoStusMoonboots · 27/06/2023 20:12

Barelyable · 27/06/2023 19:51

I was fascinated by it but I ended up on three short cases so wasn't really hanging around.
We went out for lunch but the supporters of the accused followed us around which was a bit unnerving!

Ahhh, I had similar! One of my cases involved a gang who - not in the slightest bit intimidatingly - insisted on waiting outside the courtroom/front entrance when we adjourned.

They (and everybody else) knew what they were doing.

Chocolatesandroses · 27/06/2023 20:16

Some days you can be standing around waiting for a case , some cases can be days some can be the full weeks and some can be months .. when I did it one court room had been there 5 months but normally if you get a case like that they let you know when you first are called , you are asked the reasons why you can’t do the time they asked you to do and you have to have a good reason . I was around 5 months pregnant when I did jury service maybe less I can’t remember now , they called me up for a 3 month case but obviously I was pregnant and would have been heavily pregnant by the time they finished so I was excused . We was given money for lunch and also they covered our travel fares . We was allowed out for lunch as well

OneTC · 27/06/2023 20:16

I had a month plus long one at the old bailey about a brutal attempted murder. It was harrowing from start to finish

TellySavalashairbrush · 27/06/2023 20:18

I found it very boring . The most alarming thing was the level of intelligence among some of my fellow jurors. You are looking at the evidence presented and deciding whether someone is guilty or not- one or two in my group really struggled to understand the most basic of things. I truly believe there should be a vetting process to be a juror.

FelixDoublyDelicious · 27/06/2023 20:20

I was on a long case for 6 weeks, the verdict was reported on BBC. There was a lot of in and out for points of law, sometimes we started late due to again points of law. We normally finished around 4ish.
There was a break for lunch, but we really needed to be available in the 'common room' in case we needed to be called back.
We mainly would either bring lunch, use the caterring facilities or nip out and grab food and bring it back.
Our jury became quite close at the time, there was a birthday when we were deliberating and we brought cakes in. (Stollen from what I remember)
It was quite emotional when we delivered our verdict (for me anyway) as our decision would and did put people in prison - even though it was right and just to do it.
I know quite a lot about mobile phone mast triangulation now

Nevermind31 · 27/06/2023 20:22

Book a holiday for shortly after.
when they needed people for a long case the ones who had booked a holiday were let go (don’t know if that is still applicable).
i was called years ago, before smart phones. It was really boring, sat in a room with a cross section of society, with one telly, until about 2 pm every day.
never got called, never saw a court room.
i was studying for professional exams at the time - got a distinction- due to the enforced study break, I believe.

Barelyable · 27/06/2023 20:23

@DiscoStusMoonboots oh yes, that was frustrating and really disappointing. Some of my fellow jurors would have agreed with anything to get out of there and the level of intelligence was shocking.
I came away convinced that many miscarriages of justice take place every day.

Twobyfour · 27/06/2023 20:24

Go in with an open mind and listen carefully to the Judge and all the evidence but don’t be surprised if some of the jurors don’t.

FelixDoublyDelicious · 27/06/2023 20:25

@TellySavalashairbrush

Totally agree with the below

The most alarming thing was the level of intelligence among some of my fellow jurors. You are looking at the evidence presented and deciding whether someone is guilty or not- one or two in my group really struggled to understand the most basic of things. I truly believe there should be a vetting process to be a juror.

OneTC · 27/06/2023 20:26

Yeah agreed on the intelligence thing. It really made me cute trial by jury quite differently!

There were 4 people who cared either way and everyone else just wanted to go home as quick as possible

OneTC · 27/06/2023 20:26

*view trial by jury

GlassWall · 27/06/2023 20:30

You may not get chosen for a jury at all. I got a bit cross about it because I’d gone to so much trouble to sort work and childcare, and I only had to go in for an hour in the morning for three consecutive days — no juries were chosen, and we were dismissed after that. Apparently it’s not wildly unusual for people to change their plea in the knowledge that a jury is in the building waiting to hear their trial.

On the other hand. my brother was on the jury recently a long and traumatising trial that he found deeply upsetting. (Obviously he wasn’t discussing it, but as I knew he was on jury duty and it was a high-profile case, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.)

Doggymummar · 27/06/2023 20:31

I'm due to do my second stint in July, first one was at the little court, got a three week drug trial really interesting case. This time I am at crown court I hope it's nothing to traumatic as I have PTSD from years ago witnessing a murder. If it is I shall ask to be excused. It's the same court the murder was sentenced to life in so hopefully they will remember how traumatic it was for us all.