Doing jury duty

[popcorn]

As an Englishman in a scots court,

Whoaaa as an Englishman
As a legal Englishman ,

[Ferris]

We were allowed out for fresh air/fag breaks but couldn't pop out for lunch and had to stay in the jurors' break room for sandwiches, crisps and some very salty vegetable soup.

Sounds very familiar. If it had a skylight and was (bafflingly) painted French fancy pink then I was likely the same room.

Still disgusted we didn't get to order out every day as the movies would have you believe.

Whoaaa as an Englishman
As a legal Englishman ,

I hum this every time I'm in New York. Ridiculous human being.

[Camp Tramp]

When the IRA trial finished I had to share a tube platform with the defendants families, which was awkward.

[Pingers]

Wouldn't your insomnia preclude you from participating if it could potentially ruin the trial process?

I'm thinking the House of Lords would be more appropriate

[Better Midlands]

Whoaaa as an Englishman
As a legal Englishman ,

Very good.

[Blue Jam]

I'm called up for next month, first time ever, and I'm terrified this is going to happen to me. I'm a chronic, lifelong insomniac, we're talking two to three hours' sleep most nights, and I get periods of feeling sleepy and unable to concentrate most days. If I can't stand up and walk around to keep myself awake, I'll definitely fall asleep and invalidate the whole trial.

Serious reply to this: Relax, there's still a good chance you can wriggle out of this.

As the trial is about to start the clerk should come into the waiting room and read out the defendent's name, where they're from, and the main charges. With this in mind, the jurors are then asked if they can think of any reason why they shouldn't be on the jury and if so, to come and talk to the clerk in private about it.

This generally means something that might make you impartial- for example, you know the defendent personally, or you've been a victim of the same crime and would love to send some caaahhhnt daaaahhhn for it. It can also mean a mental health condition like anxiety, or some other reason why you may find the trial triggering (and this isn't seen as skiving- nobody wants a panicking juror who can't concentrate).

It can also mean you simply don't want to do it. When I was sat in the waiting room I was bored and trying to figure out my chances of being selected, and I counted about 70 people in there- far more than would be needed even for a massive Scottish jury. When the clerk asked if anyone wanted to talk to her about being excused, about 30 people queued up. It's unlikely that they all knew the defendent or had been the victims of an attempted murder and I imagine most of them just wanted to get back to work. In any case not a single one of them came back into the room so the clerk was presumably quite cigs about their objections.

The thing of knowing the defendent personally is an interesting one- that happened to a mate of mine who was from the same small town as the defendent and knew him from school or something. I don't know how that works if the defendent is a celebrity. Maybe it doesn't work and that's how Paul Gascoigne was found Not Guilty by a jury of Geordies.

[popcorn]

The thing of knowing the defendent personally is an interesting one- that happened to a mate of mine who was from the same small town as the defendent and knew him from school or something. I don't know how that works if the defendent is a celebrity. Maybe it doesn't work and that's how Paul Gascoigne was found Not Guilty by a jury of Geordies.

When I signed on the guy behind the desk was someone I went to school with. Luckily not one of the nobbers. He was pro enough to swap me with someone else.

Afterwards he told me he'd got the job because I was on the dole and they offered him a job at the job centre "and you can't really get out of it if they're the ones offering". Presumably everyone who works in the job centre fell into the same trap.

[The Lurker]

The thing of knowing the defendent personally is an interesting one- that happened to a mate of mine who was from the same small town as the defendent and knew him from school or something. I don't know how that works if the defendent is a celebrity. Maybe it doesn't work and that's how Paul Gascoigne was found Not Guilty by a jury of Geordies.

This was when I was on jury duty at Teesside:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/08/paul-gascoigne-pleads-not-guilty-sexual-assault-allegation-kissed/

[Pingers]

Spare a thought for Richard Madeley, who has done Judy duty more times than he'd care to remember.

[The Giggling Bean]

I'll be honest and say I would hate to do Jury dury, it honestly fills me with dread. I get claustrophobic and suffer from anxiety so the thought of being boxed in on a jury without being able to nip to the loo or move gives me the fear. I'd probably be so angry about being put in that situation that I'd declare whoever it was guilty regardless of evidence.

Mrs bean has done it and had a murder case. Despite the tons of horror movies I've watched im squeamish when it comes to real life stuff. It passes me off that you can't opt out of it.

Touch wood I've never been called and I hope I never do.

[Replies From View]

I've done jury duty and it's weird.  You realise all the Monty Python and Not The Nine O'Clock News courtroom sketches aren't much more absurd than the real thing.  There's a flamboyant theatricality to them with the ridiculous costumes, a somber performance with the prosecution presenting their case to the jurors while the defence reminds you that owning a flatscreen TV actually doesn't signify immense hidden wealth, and you're sitting there witnessing the spectacle with all its pretension and you get the feeling all the lawyers and judges there can't see that it's absurd at all because they are so used to it.

But it fucking is absurd, mate.  Very much so.  You also get ample time to wonder what "reasonable doubt" means.


9/10

[Janie Jones]

Helpful stuff

Thanks. I will explain first chance I get and I reckon I'll get stood down. It's for the best, I'm deeply misanthropic and judgemental.

[Ambient Sheep]

I'm called up for next month, first time ever, and I'm terrified this is going to happen to me. I'm a chronic, lifelong insomniac, we're talking two to three hours' sleep most nights, and I get periods of feeling sleepy and unable to concentrate most days. If I can't stand up and walk around to keep myself awake, I'll definitely fall asleep and invalidate the whole trial.

Wouldn't your insomnia preclude you from participating if it could potentially ruin the trial process?

Exactly, can you not get a doctor's letter?


EDIT: Hadn't seen the new page when I posted, seems you may not need it from the sounds of it.

[Replies From View]

It's fine to ruin a trial.  They just remount it and do it again.



Honestly - you can invalidate as many trials as you please and they could not care less

[Retinend]

I was on a jury the week before the lockdown. 

... ... ...

The lesson I learned was, apart from make a point of avoiding the police and the legal system as much as possible - because they're all fucking hopeless - was: don't get so plastered that you piss yourself in front of crackheads and make yourself vulnerable.

It's not right - obviously - but then there's reality, isn't there?  There are some cunts out there who'll take advantage if you let them and the police are too fucking useless to do anything about it.

This was a brilliant but harrowing post, well done.

[Ferris]

Just got a summons lads!

[popcorn]

Just got a summons lads!

Excellent. My plan is working perfectly.

[Ferris]

Excellent. My plan is working perfectly.

Says I won't be called until 2021 (and then again on the back in French) but I'm leaving the province in 6 days?

[Janie Jones]

I got an email at 9.30 last night saying I've been excused from jury duty. 10 days before I was meant to be in court. No reason given and they had no new info about me, all I'd done is confirm I was available and tick boxes about my age and ethnicity etc back when I first got the summons. Is it because of my personal data, they've got enough old white women so they've stood me down? Although I was dreading it, and should be relieved, I feel oddly indignant, like Vic and Bob's Bra Men: 'What are ya sayin, like? Are ya sayin Ah've got nowt? Y'can KEEP y' Civic Duty!'

[Gurke and Hare]

Perhaps all the people where you live have stopped doing crimes, so there are no trials any more?

[ollyboro]

Perhaps all the people where you live have stopped doing crimes, so there are no trials any more?

Nah mate. It's because we've got the party of law and order in power. They've got crime down to zero. They're doing a similar job with the economy.

[Natnar]

Did Jury Duty in the late 90's. I ended having to serve about 10 days before Xmas. Didn't end up doing a trial although i did end up going into a courtroom to be picked but wasn't one of the 12 picked to go on to the jury. I spent the rest of the time waiting to be picked for a trial but most of the planned trials ended up not going ahead because of the defendant suddenly pleading guilty (the bloke working at the court seemed to think it was because of them wanting to get the trial over before Xmas). Whilst all the potential jurors were waiting they showed us videos about how not to be intimidated by witnesses and the defendant's families, and episodes of One Foot In The Grave.

I was also told that i wasn't ever allowed to discuss any trials i may be involved in ever. I could face charges if i was caught spilling any personal details about anyone in the case at anytime in the future. Maybe they've changed that rule now.