So I got a letter today from the Crown Court (eek!) that said I’d won the lottery (yay!) and picked for jury service (boo!).
Immediately I looked for an ‘out’ and the wisdom of Homer “Just tell them you are prejudiced against all races” but it seems unless I put pants on my head, pencils up my nose and go ‘wibble’ I can’t avoid it.
So anyone have any experience of during jury service lmk what levels of excitement/boredom can I expect
I really enjoyed it – like going to the theatre every day. We had a Jack the lad up on a burglary charge. As time went on it became obvious he had been fitted up. He was obviously guilty of something, but the three coppers made a complete lash-up of the evidence, contradicting each other, unable to read their own notes etc. Since the judge kept banging on about beyond reasonable doubt, we found him not guilty. The judge thanked us and told the defendant to stay in the dock because there were other charges to be brought! Interestingly, the three women on the jury refused to believe that the police were capable of such behaviour, but they were outvoted. I was really disappointed to be sent home after the first week. Remember to take a book – lots of waiting about.
On the other hand, the late Mrs thep was on a jury in a rape case at the Old Bailey. That was really gruelling.
Lucky you! I’m desperate to be on a jury. Too many criminals get off with it – remember that and you won’t go far wrong.
If the defence decided to question members of the panel as to their suitability, a remark like that could well see you rejected at selection.
Really? *innocent face*
Well, except for the fact that (having now done some research on jury selection) they’re extremely unlikely to get the opportunity to question you.
I did jury service back in 1990 & found it quite a slog. 2 cases in 2 weeks. One was low level drugs & the other some kids “having a fight.”
Unfortunately with the kids one, after a few days, another jury member said to us all on arriving, how she’d seen 2 defendants on the bus going over their story that morning – immediate retrial!
There is a sense of theatre to it all, but the main characters (defendants & witnesses) are not professional actors, so it’s very hesitant, with lots of umms and arrs.
There were quite a lot of breaks for “points of law” when the jury would be sent out.
Take a book (short stories or biogs are best for a few minutes) keep your phone switched off, don’t look anything up online, and accept that your other jury members may not be people you’d naturally socialise with.
You can end up clock watching & it’s a bit like being back at school with double maths, but it’s the best system there is!
As above.
Very boring two weeks. Two cases – one thrown out by Judge. The other was a something and nothing case that we cleared the defendant of as he had quite clearly been charged with the wrong offence.
Take sandwiches, save your expenses.
Did jury service a few years ago in York and it was a welcome break from my day job. Spent the first three days in a room doing nothing, so read a book. The two cases I was eventually on were for assault and alleged child abuse, so quite harrowing but I found the whole process in court fascinating.
Been called up a few times only empanelled once.
armed robbery of a jewellery shop. The defendant claimed he was at a brothel but jewellery found at his place, with the tags still on them, suggested his guilt. It was apparent he was busted because of surveillance on other matters but we weren’t told what those matters were.
Hung jury. We had a social welfare guy who didn’t want to think ill of anyone and a couple of people who didn’t think it was fair that they had to decide. Err sorry that is what a jury does.
Dunno what happened in the retrial.
But to answer the question -quite a bit of having to leave the court while legal debate ensued.
May be different in UK
You can defer – I did the first time I was asked, but they came back to me a year later.
There was a lot of sitting around; I was at Oxford Crown Court and there were a lot of cases running and juries being selected. Take several books. Once in court it was quite interesting to see how things worked; a lot less polished than you see on TV. It was a lot more hesitant, and plod seemed to find reading and writing quite a challenge. I didn’t make it to a third case – they picked 12 by ballot from 14 and I missed the cut. I was actually a bit miffed, not least because I had to go back to work.
We convicted one guy for nicking a BMX (he admitted punching the owner) and let off another (he had the sense to say he didn’t) and then found a guy guilty of “twocking” (taking a car without owners consent). Turned out he had mountains of previous. It was a little bit spooky leaving the court and finding yourself on the same park and ride bus as the friends and family of the accused / convicted / innocent.
The jury were the great British public in action. A couple of “all coppers are bastards” and a few “the boys in blue do an outstanding job”. A couple that clearly couldn’t give a shit and wanted away as fast as possible. Most took no notes what so ever during the trial and were wholly unfamiliar with group meetings / discussions. I’m no Henry Fonda but it quickly became evident that anyone willing to argue their corner and stand their ground could get their way.
I got called again 9 months later – but you can turn it down if the last call was within 2 years.
Been called twice.
First was when I was a longhaired layabout living in Wales. A murder trial. I was not picked from the panel as a) the distance from where I lived to the court made it unrealistic due to me not having my own transport and b) a long-haired English hippie layabout was not what they wanted on the jury.
As it turned out, the defendant and victim were (slightly) known to me anyway so I could not have served on the jury anyway.
Second was a couple of guys conspiring to defraud by clocking cars. The evidence from Trading Standards (who investigated and brought the charges) was totally cut-and-dried and although they initially pleaded Not-Guilty, as the evidence emerged they floundered and eventually (after a week of proceedings) changed their plea to Guilty at the last gasp and we were discharged. We had all already come to the conclusion that they were guilty but were never asked for a verdict.
Quite a few in-and-outs while legal points were discussed as mentioned above.
I got out of jury service! Because they wanted me to do it on the due date of my first child. I pointed out that I’d be in no fit state to sift evidence.
However they just defer it. Six months later I was called again.
Here’s what happened. Day one, sat in a big room outside various courts all day, nothing happened. Day two, called into two courts, not selected for either jury. Day three, selected into an actual jury! The case begins! Day four, the case collapsed. I pleaded to be let home. I was.
Bring a book. In this time I managed to read almost all of …And The Land Lay Still by James Robertson.
Brilliant book! What did you think of it?
Best book by a Scottish writer I’ve read since bloody Trainspotting. Complete masterpiece, loved it completely.
I cannot improve upon your description. He’s on at the book fest reading his new one, so I’m looking forward to that.
I was selected for jury service back in 2010. Rather a grisly child sex abuse case that went on for 5 weeks. As already stated there is a lot of hanging about and the court hours seem to be ludicrously short but overall it was a fascinating experience that actually prompted me to ‘put something back’, in a voluntary capacity. You do also tend to bond and make good short term relationships with other jury members although there will inevitably be some who you’d rather never see again.
Have Volume 1 of JG Ballard short stories to go first.
It’s come at annoying time as couple of juicy projects have come up at work starting in Sept but can’t apply as will be whisked off this this.
That Volume is excellent – Vol 2 just as good!
Called up once, and was really impressed with my fellow jury members on the first case; an unpleasant case involving a drug addicted mother accused of hitting her child. The discussion was a good one, and she was found innocent although I have often wondered whether i got it right. It’s interesting how easy it can be to be influenced by things other than the case. The second case was no better; an old man charged with with inappropriate behaviour towards a child in a park. The guy just looked like a hopeless inadequate. The girl was interviewed by video link in another room and it really was pretty gripping; both counsels were very impressive in their questioning. Eventually she was asked the crucial question and she said no, it never happened. She was asked whether she understood the question, yes, asked again. No, he didn’t. We were asked to retire, returned and then asked by the judge to dismiss the case. The guy in the dock looked no better, relieved or anything. He just looked utterly crushed and couldn’t get his face out of my head for a long while afterwards.
As others have said, bring a book and a notebook & pen if you get called.
I’ve done it twice. It is an interesting process and an insight into the legal system, but take a good book as you will spend lots of time waiting around for things to happen.
Materials for taking notes are provided in court so no need for your own notebook – indeed you’re not allowed to take your notes out of the courtroom.
The first time I did it about 16 years ago the case I started on collapsed on day two when one of the witnesses let slip that the defendant had a criminal record. The second case was a conspiracy to steal – a guy accused of conspiring with a couple of others to take a pallet of spirits and cigarettes from a supermarket warehouse. We found him not guilty but joked afterwards that if he shook your hand and gave you a bottle of scotch outside court you knew you’d got it wrong.
The second occasion five years back was a sexual assault, the trial took just over a week. Again a not guilty verdict because there simply wasn’t enough correlation in the evidence on both sides to be sure what had happened. The police evidence in particular was dreadful, you’d think they’d get plenty of practice in getting it right. Hilarious in court moment as the defence barrister demonstrated where you might place your hands whilst having oral sex administered.
Overall, in my experience, you come away with the impression that you’ve never been privy to the full picture. I’m glad I’ve done it though.
The defence in my wife’s rape case hinged in part on the fact that the victim wore a t-shirt in bed and was therefore obviously a bit of a slut. My wife had to be told to keep silent by the judge.
You could always try the Liz Lemon approach:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blcqvrt1T8c
Six week fraud trial at Wood Green Crown Court.
It was one of the trials of my life. I nearly lost the will to live.
Whatever you do, do not fall asleep when the court is in session.
Yep.
I got a -very- serious bollocking from the judge for starting to doze off at the trial I was on.
Threats of being done for contempt of court.
I believe I have film of that incident
Caught bang to rights and no mistake.
Wish I’d known about the glasses trick…
Did a 6-day trial in Truro in February.
Everyone on the jury got on really well (we didn’t talk about Wayne Rooney or Joe Strummer), and we were all disappointed to be let go on the second Monday.
I took work with me, and found lunch times in Truro the most boring bits, but treated myself to a CD every day.
About two months later, I went to a football match in the town where the offence took place, and passed the street where it happened.
Chinese – check. Kebab shop – check. Dodgy pub – check. Place where the only reliable witness saw things happen – check.
Having focused so much on that area for 6 hard days, it was seriously weird.
I’ve done it twice now. I was leader of the jury on the first occasion which looking back was strange as I was only about twenty at the time. I haven’t much too add that hasn’t been said already accept that I feel it’s really important that the jury is a cross section of our society and I would like to think that if I was ever in the dock I would want to have someone very like me in the jury. Of course,don’t get the wrong impression the Lunaman you know is a very law abiding citizen. I rest my case.
Called, but only spent one full day and two mornings and the court waiting for a panel that never came. I was given a phone number to call in the evening to say if I was required to attend the next day, and after the second afternoon the recorded message said thanks, but you have now been discharged.
Take some books along; unless you’re an extrovert and actively enjoy chatting to a roomful of strangers for hours on end it’s pretty dull.
Practical question: what’s the longest time you’re likely to have to go before a toilet break?
I don’t think any sessions were more that 2-3 hours when I was on duty. It’s pretty much up to the judge’s ability to hold his/her water, as they are very much in charge, although either side’s lawyer or any juror can ask for a recess if they need to go. You probably won’t be very popular if you do ask, though.
Memo to self: lay off the coffee while waiting.
You shouldn’t try to get out of it – too many people do and it’s a duty, like paying tax, that only the morally suspect seek to avoid.
My 21-year-old son spent the first two weeks of his summer break from university on jury duty a month at Wood Green or so back. He sat on two cases, a rape trial and a fraud allegation, and was foreman on the second one.
His part in the decision to free one man and send another to prison still weighs on his mind, as I guess it should do, but he believes the responsibility he took on is part of being a grown-up, functioning member of society.
Pompous, too serious, and idealistic? Maybe, but better than being a shirker I’d say.
“that only the morally suspect try to avoid” might be a bit harsh but I agree that people shouldn’t avoid on spurious grounds. The jury system relies on being judged by a panel of your peers so we don’t want them occupied solely by retirees and the prurient.
Also worth noting that it can be quite expensive for some people, particularly the self-employed and /or carers, given the cap on daily expenses.
Called twice (one for murder, one for drugs) and both times my selection was challenged by one of the lawyers, so back I went into the general public of Fulchester after one morning.
Both experiences were very interesting. However, in both cases several chosen jury members left it to the very last minute before saying that they couldn’t do it. One giggly, quite annoying girl said she was committed to doing a residential course in Karate! The judge said sternly that she had had ample opportunity to raise this before now – but she started crying and saying how sorry she was. She was one of those complicated people – people that “won’t be a minute” but leave you waiting half an hour. A trip to the shops turns into several errands, some of which not entirely thought through. All the while, playing to the gallery, believing that all of this is charming and amusing. It worked though – she was allowed to leave.
Others argued that they didn’t understand what was happening due to English being their second language and had only just realised what all of this was. That’s hard to argue against – just frowning and saying “what?” to everything the judge says will try (!) anyone’s patience.
About 15 years ago I was called for jury service and had to serve on a grisly and squalid murder case. We had much experience of what was said above several times about being called away from the court room while legal matters are discussed (presumably about what the jury can and cannot hear).
This left the impression that the public gallery got to hear a lot more about what really (or speculatively) happened than the jury, and when we wee called to give our verdict, we were left with the unsatisfactory feeling that we say not guilty just because we were given insufficient evidence either way. If only we could have had our questions asked for us. Imagine an episode of Morse or Frost, etc, where the broadcaster decided to blackout the show between ad breaks and then expected the viewer to step in for Thaw or Jason at the last minute.
The prosecution barrister was a real tyrant (think David Cann in Blue Jam), while the female defence barrister was far more sympathetic. After the trial, I was leaving the building and I passed her in the corridor saying how crushed the defendant still felt, even though not found guilty. There was a real sense of unanswered questions and justice not really being seen to have been done.
Hope you have a better experience, DFB.
Called up twice and got out of it both times. First was when I was in my last year at uni and the case would have been in the middle of my finals, so they had no problem with that. The second time was a few months after I’d moved away from Portsmouth, and again they didn’t insist. I was pretty disappointed – you tend to picture some fascinating high-profile case – but that was before I’d heard how dull it can be in reality.
Likewise, I was called up twice. First time I got out of it, being self employed.
Second time I deferred for six months but then finally had to attend.
On the first day I was all set for a week or two of the re-enactment of 12 Angry Men when the jury clerk called out a bunch of numbers, including mine (on arrival you are given numbers to avoid identification). Five minutes later I was out in the street. No longer required, thanks very much.
It seems they always call up way more people than required to allow for objections etc. Some spares are kept hanging around, but others are sent home, jury service done.
I dread this, it’s never happened to me although recently I’ve noticed loads of people I know getting called. It sounds like it can either be excruciatingly boring or really quite grim, I tend not to be interested in the minutiae of legal cases although I know some people love poring over all that stuff. Knowing me if I got called I’d probably love it and bang on about it for weeks.
But hey – That’s justice
I did jury service last year.
As a number of others have commented they tend to ‘over-budget’ in terms of potential jurors. I spent the first couple of days sitting around and thinking it was a bit of a doddle – I was called to a court then not selected on one occasion. Then, I think at the end of the second day, I was called to do a case which I ended up being the foreman on and which led to a custodial sentence for the accused.
Basically I would recommend that you prepare yourself for the most difficult of cases and hope for the best. Good luck.