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Jury Service


RedAndWhite91
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As a former jury member and foreman (twice) I may be able to offer you a few 'pointers' :

 

1 - You are guaranteed loads of hanging about not doing very much - take something to read .

2 - Commonly if you don't get a case then they will eventually send you home/back to work . You may get to see the game afterall !

3 - The court will pay you your wages and reimburse you any travel expenses , you also get free food & drink .

4 - If/when you actually do get a case it can be a fascinating insight into human life .

5 - You are an important part of the criminal justice system , pay attention to the evidence & use your best judgement .

6 - You must never discuss the case outside of the juryroom .

7 - Dress smartly but many jury members don't wear a suite & tie these days .

8 - The barristers and judges you will encounter will probably be among the most impressive/intelligent people you ever meet .

9 - Never underestimate the difficulty of getting 12 different people to agree on anything - the voice of experience .

10 - Don't look on jury service as a negative , you may well find you enjoy the experience - I did . :)

Edited by CHAPEL END CHARLIE
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7 - Dress smartly but many jury members don't wear a suite & tie these days .

8 - The barristers and judges you will encounter will probably be among the most impressive/intelligent people you ever meet .

7 - There is no dress code, wear what you like within reason. Average smart casual type stuff. No-one wore a suit (or suite).

8 - You really won't be that impressed at all.

11 - You will be shocked at the stupidity of some of the other jury members. They will make your time infinitely more tiresome than it needs to be.

 

Because you are a known crim who socialises with known crims !

 

How old are you redandwhite, I thought you were about 17 ? not to be offensive, just to establish from what age you are considered for jury service.

I'm guessing that redandwhite91 might be a bit of a clue.

 

It was actually quite enjoyable, apart from all the waiting.

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I came away from jury service totally frustrated at our legal system.

 

14 year-old boy with severe learning difficulties was being bullied by a local thug. He was expelled from 3 local schools, but was still only 15. He pinned his victim down stubbing a cigarette on his body 23 times. The mother of the lad, knowing he was unable to defend himself, went round the bully's house and smashed him in the face with her shoe. He lost a tooth & had 8 stitches in his lip. SHE was in court for attacking a minor - disgraceful

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So at 18/19 our system believes your life experiences and maturity qualify you for such a role, bit young imo

I'm not saying I necessarily agree, but at eighteen you are deemed to be mature enough to help elect the country's government and make your own life decisions. If you are old enough for that, then surely you are mature enough to appear on a jury of peers? All twelve people have to agree (majority aside), after all.

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I will be all of 19 years old when it all happens, yeah. Perhaps it is too young, I don't know, but I guess it's good to have a wide cross section of society on the jury.

 

Thanks for the replies as well, very helpful. I guess it's luck if I do

manage to make the game then, but either way it will be an experience. Cheers.

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I hope you get a crime as "interesting" as one I saw while in college. A man was accused of rape, but the girl was a prostitute and the man who had only paid for regular sex and he went for the wrong 'un. Somehow this got to court and was all very interesting that the girl charged £5 for almost anything goes. Anyway, dont know how the case ended up as the girls father got very aggressive towards just about everyone and the case was suspended until the following day. Exciting times. :cool:

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I came away from jury service totally frustrated at our legal system.

 

14 year-old boy with severe learning difficulties was being bullied by a local thug. He was expelled from 3 local schools, but was still only 15. He pinned his victim down stubbing a cigarette on his body 23 times. The mother of the lad, knowing he was unable to defend himself, went round the bully's house and smashed him in the face with her shoe. He lost a tooth & had 8 stitches in his lip. SHE was in court for attacking a minor - disgraceful

 

Why is this disgraceful? It is vigilante justice and a dangerous thing. You can't just go around attacking people, even if you think they "deserve it".

 

You don't say if the original attack also ended up going to court.

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8 - You really won't be that impressed at all.

 

I obviously went to a better class of court than you then because I felt the barristers and judges I meet were absolutely first class , although the London barrister who missed his train and stopped the trial for hours did incur the terrible wrath of the judge . Let me assure you this was an expierence neither he nor I are likely to forget . :D

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I was due to be on next week (and did suggest that they send me to Southwark so as to get on the Satchel-face case) but they rang me last week to say there wasnt enough cases. No surprises as all plod do is issue speed tickets instead of catching "real" villans.

 

They offered me June, but that's in the cricket season so they can poke that. Looks like April for me as well.

 

When is Story-tellers lynching due?

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