Jury Duty in the time of Corona

[Icehaven]

I'm disgusted by the lack of respect you people have for due process.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Then surely it's only right I remove myself from the proceedings?

[non capisco]

Why are people so against doing jury duty?

I've done it twice now. The second one was, well, let's just say quite an upsetting one. I think you can only turn it down flat if you've been called up more than three times but I might pull the "fuck ever doing that again, give someone else a go" card if it's deemed to be my turn once more. 

[Fambo Number Mive]

Why are people so against doing jury duty? It's an experience and chance to do something a bit different. Worst case; zone out for a few weeks then flip a coin at the end of the trial and you're 50/50 making the right call for zero effort.

Your boy Ferris was a juror on a murder trial. 6 weeks off work and the sheriff's office[nb]Edinburgh innit[/nb] mistakenly paid me the gross amount so I was tax free. I was making pittance and hated my job so it was a lovely little bonus (which is probably why they didn't notice the tiddly amount of tax I was supposed to pay), though the murder itself was actually a bit grim.

Still worth doing imo, especially when you add the free sandwiches (as many as you like!) into the decision.

Isn't there the risk of being threatened by associates of the accused/s or the victim/s? Also, I feel a bit uneasy with a system where guilt is based on what twelve members of the public decide. Not sure what they could replace it with though.

I'd be worried about making the wrong decision as well. I dread being called for jury duty.

Sorry, OP. Not the most positive of responses to your thread.

[Phil Colons]

I'm going to be doing this from a week next Monday. I don't mind really as I hate my job and it's at least two weeks off work.

I'm also up on a gross misconduct charge at my place of work so hopefully I can drag that out until after the jury service has finished and get another months wages.

[Uncle TechTip]

Isn't there the risk of being threatened by associates of the accused/s or the victim/s? Also, I feel a bit uneasy with a system where guilt is based on what twelve members of the public decide. Not sure what they could replace it with though. .

Maybe they could ask... I dunno, fourteen members of the public?

[chveik]

Isn't there the risk of being threatened by associates of the accused/s or the victim/s? Also, I feel a bit uneasy with a system where guilt is based on what twelve members of the public decide. Not sure what they could replace it with though.

it's by far the better system.

[Gurke and Hare]

Isn't there the risk of being threatened by associates of the accused/s or the victim/s?

It's not a non-zero risk I suppose, but if you think about it it seems unlikely. After all, there are a lot of jury trials going on up and down the country every day but it isn't something you hear about, is it? If there were lots of people threatening juries with any degree of regularity, you'd probably know. Apart from anything else, the prison industrial complex doesn't want a state of affairs where you'd be less likely to find people guilty, so if it was a major risk they'd be desperately trying to stamp it out.

[Fambo Number Mive]

I wonder how many threatened jury members would report it to the police though. I know that sounds a bit like "crimes we know nothing about".

[Sebastian Cobb]

I don't think you're likely to get it as a juror, since they'd pretty much have to intimidate the entire jury, and the chances of someone reporting it with that many people makes it quite high, with low chances of success.

It probably does happen to witnesses though.

[Dr Rock]

Say you're an anarchist who doesn't believe in prison and would automatically find the defendant innocent on principle. But have enough self-awareness to try to rule yourself out rather than go through with what may be an immoral act (letting a guilty person go free).

[Blue Jam]

Maybe they could ask... I dunno, fourteen members of the public?

Or fifteen, like we do here in Scotchland?

[timebug]

I am now ancient and wrinkly, and have never been asked to do it! My Father had to do a weeks Jury service,and every single day they were kept hanging around for many hours, before being sent home for the day. He never did actually serve on a jury in the entire week. They paid pennies for attending, and basically he lost a weeks wage for that.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Forgot to update this.

I got cited on the Monday but it turns out that was broadly an internal date for 'the system' since they didn't do anything until the Tuesday, where someone phoned to make sure I could be entered into the draw, then later phoned to say I was drawn.

I spent one day in the cinema with video links to the court, it was actually quite well done, but after hearing several witnesses the judge (who was far more laid back than I suspected, and mostly went to efforts to make sure the jury was comfortable and got regular breaks) said "normally I'd dismiss you now, but just give me 5 minutes with my council", then when they reconnected the link announced that after discussion and 'information that had come to light' they were going to reboot the trial with a new jury.

I guess, since the case is ongoing this means I probably can't talk about it until a verdict despite me being dismissed (they just sort of told us to go home without any formal dismissal). Which is a shame because it seemed a bit of a shambles.

Ultimately though getting to peer into a court room without getting bored or having to make any decisions was a pretty good deal. And I finally got to cycle through the Clyde tunnel you can get a right lick up on the downhill part. I started off wheeling the thing like the signs said but after I had to dive out of the way of two other people just riding down I just rode it.

[PlanktonSideburns]

Did you film any of it? Any chance you could DM it to me?

EDIT: thanks!

[Aaron500]

A mate of mine did it and the court had to cleared for them to be told off by the judge because my mate farted and it gave the rest of the jury the giggles.

It was a trial for a vicious assault/attempted murder or summat, and a couple of days in he and another juror were on the bus home and realised the defendant was on their bus, which made them rethink their travel arrangements before they sent him down.

[Blue Jam]

A mate of mine did it and the court had to cleared for them to be told off by the judge because my mate farted

Best way to clear a court tbf

https://metro.co.uk/2015/04/16/courtroom-cleared-after-mans-appalling-fart-5153309/