Jury Duty

[Chickenkeev]

Has anyone ever done it? I've never been called (thank fk!) but i'm curious as to what it's like. In one way it could be really interesting, and in another way it could be really traumatising. And, in the traumatising cases, is there any aftercare?

I didn't lose out financially.

@Chickenkeev
1st trial 22 years ago we were taken to a local 5 star restaurant for lunch each day.
2nd trial finished yesterday (7 day trial) shitty pac lunch that even the local hospital wouldn't serve (and they got reemed by the care commission over the quality of food) but noone really had an appetite after hearing the evidence

Yes there will be lots of people to pick a jury from so even if you're on jury duty you may never serve on a jury

That must be incredibly difficult tbf. At least in a jury if you make the wrong decision, you're one of many. If you mess up as a witness, it's kind of on you iyswim.

I’ve done it, I liked the actual experience but it was difficult financially as I don’t get paid from work when on jury service and what you can claim from the court is limited so doesn’t cover your full lost wages

Don't actually get paid - but get travel and lunch expenses. Depends on your company so you are usually not out of pocket
If there is something you don't understand can pass a message to the jury clerk and they can get the judge to explain. The jury clerk (can be several different people) is your best friend for the duration

Didn't know that. It's pretty unfair that way then. What are people supposed to do there.

My friend got called for June this year, it was for 2 weeks at our nearest Crown Court. First day she turned up and sent home lunchtime, same next day. She told them she had a funeral she wanted to go to the following week and on the third day they let her go completely.

https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/what-you-can-claim-if-youre-an-employee

There are limits as to how much you can claim back

Nope I lost out as the amount they paid was less than half my wage and employer the first time didn't top my pay up.

2nd employer did when they realised what case it was (put 2 and 2 together from the local news). And they offered to pay for counselling for me which was really good of them.

I’ve declined to do it twice. I’m autistic and I felt I wouldn’t be able to cope at all, more with the travel, unfamiliar people and place and just generally felt anxiety so explained to them . Some people never get called and I got called twice 🤦‍♀️

I can't understand how anyone can be expected to be out of pocket, for something that's mandatory.

Decent employers will carry on paying you during jury service (mine does) but there's no requirement for them to do so. There is a daily allowance but it is less than minimum wage (£62.75 a day) so doesn't compensate if your employer refuses to pay you.

So yes, many people are severely financially disadvantaged by jury service.

I was called up when I had a two week old baby, so was excused on those grounds. I've never been called again.

I sat in on a couple of days of evidence at trials at the Old Bailey as part of a law module I was doing for my postgrad - I was SO glad I wasn't on a jury. The responsibility is huge.

Like a PP my grandfather sat for a horrible murder trial and he was haunted by it. He would often talk about the relief when they convicted and discovered this was about the 15th case of violent offences the defendant had been involved in. Not that meant he was guilty for the case being tried of course, but having sat through all of the evidence and deliberated, my grandfather was sure that they had made the right decision.

I got called to do it when I was around 18. I got picked and was quite excited to see what it would be like. It turned out to be a complete waste of time. I had to call a number each night to see if I was required to attend the next day, and when I did have to go in it was just for a common assault between to guys who had a fight outside a pub, the guy pled guilty so we didn't need to actually do anything. We did get taken out for lunch though.

I've been called 3 times in 15 years! The first time I never had to even turn up at court. The second time I spend a morning hanging around in court corridors, into one court room, lots of important looking people faffed around then we got told that court wasn't ready to start so we waited around a bit more then went in another room, they picked a jury for that case but I wasn't selected but we had to wait for the afternoon session to start so I stayed in the public gallery to watch. Then they swore everyone in, read the charges and it the solicitor asked to adjourn because there was some evidence cited that they hadn't seen......so I hung around for 2hours in the cold and went for some lunch, got back for the afternoon session and they said we could go home as there no new cases starting. Repeated again later in the week. Biggest waste of people's time ever!! I'm only thankful that my employer pays us in full and this wasn't coming out of my own pocket! Third time was during Covid and I got an exemption because I said i wasn't sitting unmasked in a room full of people due to an underlying health condition (it's not that bad but given what else we couldn't do at the time it felt wrong!)

@fiftiesmum is there only 11 jurors in England I ask because its 15 in Scotland

Sounds like a v decent employer there but i imagine unusual in that respect. I'm a bit shocked that people are expected to lose out financially because of it tbh, didn't realise that at all.

It's ridiculous that they can get away with paying less than minimum wage, when the whole point of that is it's supposed to be the least you can live on!

I’ve done it - found it very interesting, and more reassuring than I’d imagined about the justice system.

One of our cases concerned historic sexual abuse, and I did wonder at first how on earth I was going to be able to judge, when it was one person’s word against the other’s. But the witnesses certainly made it a lot easier.
Two members of the jury, however, had clearly made up their minds before hearing any of it, which was disturbing, but a 10/2 final verdict was accepted.

You do need to take a good book! There can be a lot of sitting about. IIRC you couldn’t use mobile phones in the jury room and any sort of googling about the defendant was strictly forbidden and would result in a prison sentence. There was a poster on the wall about someone who’d been caught - a university lecturer - who got 8 months.

I remember there being board games to play and newspapers. We were kept in a large canteen type waiting room, with a refreshments area.

@Hoardasurass you and eleven others.
They take about fifteen or so from the main room round to the court then read out twelve names in case any of you know the defendant or other reasons

i don’t think it’s fair to say decent employers will pay, people often work for small businesses who are struggling themselves and I don’t think it’s fair to expect small businesses to prop up the justice system

That's true enough, apologies. The state should be ensuring jurors don't suffer losses as a result of serving.

Usually 12 on a jury in England and Wales. and in Northern Ireland. Jury trials less common in NI though.