I've Been Summoned For Jury Service

[Dynasty]

Holy crap. I never thought I would ever get picked.

Opening my mail a few minutes ago, saw one from HMCS (Her Majesty's Court Service) and thought it might be something to do with the speeding ticket I picked up last month (grrrr) so was kind of ***ting myself as I was opening it.

I have to appear at the Exeter Crown & County Court next month. More than one case, up to 14 days on-call.

Apparently 400,000 UK residents get picked randomly from the electoral register each year, and its pretty much an obligatory civil service. If your employer refuses you the leave they are in contempt of court and will be prosecuted accordingly. Ahah.

This has really surprised me and is worrying me. I dont know what I would be like deciding on someone's sentence, their future. Im always knocking off people who break the law etc, but I think it's all talk. Sat in jury, taken to a secluded room to cast votes on another person based on what you interperet to be 'lawful' and 'justice'.

I doubt it will be for man slaughter or anything really serious, but ***k me this has caught me completely off guard.

Anyone else been summoned or know someone who has been summoned before?

I feel honoured yet petrified.

 

[Lucid]

I've been summoned before.
Ended up just sitting in a room with other jurors for about 4 hours.
Read a book, talked with them... and then some lady came in and sent us home.

Have fun.

 

[Tagaziel]

Watch 12 Angry Men before you go to court. Essential stuff, really.

 

[VirusType2]

^This

Enjoy your stuffy courtroom atmosphere.

 

[Krynn72]

Everyone bitches about jury duty here, but I think it would be interesting. As long as its not "sit here for 5 hours waiting for us, then oops we don't need you" kind of jury duty.

 

[MJ12]

Doesn't jury duty pay really suck or something?

 

[Raziaar]

Holy crap. I never thought I would ever get picked.

Opening my mail a few minutes ago, saw one from HMCS (Her Majesty's Court Service) and thought it might be something to do with the speeding ticket I picked up last month (grrrr) so was kind of ***ting myself as I was opening it.

I have to appear at the Exeter Crown & County Court next month. More than one case, up to 14 days on-call.

Apparently 400,000 UK residents get picked randomly from the electoral register each year, and its pretty much an obligatory civil service. If your employer refuses you the leave they are in contempt of court and will be prosecuted accordingly. Ahah.

This has really surprised me and is worrying me. I dont know what I would be like deciding on someone's sentence, their future. Im always knocking off people who break the law etc, but I think it's all talk. Sat in jury, taken to a secluded room to cast votes on another person based on what you interperet to be 'lawful' and 'justice'.

I doubt it will be for man slaughter or anything really serious, but ***k me this has caught me completely off guard.

Anyone else been summoned or know someone who has been summoned before?

I feel honoured yet petrified.

Just remember... if you get murdered for being a juror, there are plenty who will be able to take your place. It's what makes our system great!

 

[Ravioli]

I really dont understand the jury system at all, it doesnt make any ****ing sense.

 

[Vegeta897]

My brother just got a jury summons too. Huh.

 

[<RJMC>]

allways go against the decision of all to anoy them

rest of jury: so them we will declare the acussed of gui-

you: inocent!

rest of jury: oh goddamed not again! choose already!

you: maybe I should check the case fromt he beginning

rest of jury:*everyone gets mad and smash something*

you: *hidden laugh*

 

[dfc05]

The people I know who've been usually get dismissed for having too much bias.

My mom got called once, and the weed-out question was something like "Have you been in a car accident?" which she had. So she got dismissed.

So if you don't want to be on the jury, just say you've done whatever they ask if you've done.

 

[PvtRyan]

Just start mumbling to yourself about how "divine justice will be served... His will be done.. He will come down from the heavens to destroy the foreigners" and you'll be sent home in no time.

 

[YROC]

Yell out "HOTDOGS!" whenever someone speaks to you.

 

[Krynn72]

Just start mumbling to yourself about how "divine justice will be served... His will be done.. He will come down from the heavens to destroy the foreigners" and you'll be sent home in no time.

Only because he live in the UK. If you say that in the US...

 

[Solaris]

Remember Juries not only have the right to pass judgement on others, but also on the law itself. If you feel someone is being prosecuted for something they did, but that you don't feel should be illegal, then you can find them innocent even though you know they did the 'crime'.

This is called Jury Nullification

 

[VirusType2]

That's got to be the coolest thing about being judged by a jury of your peers. The law isn't always right, you know?

However, in most modern Western legal systems, juries are often instructed to serve only as "finders of facts", whose role it is to determine the veracity of the evidence presented,[2] and not the application of that evidence to the law. These instructions are criticized by advocates of jury nullification.

Well, then.

 

[Eejit]

I was summoned once in NI but it was just as I was leaving for uni so that got me out of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzusuXSj8Y0

 

[Dynasty]

Weirdly, 2 of my mates from around the country have been summoned this week too. Maybe the HMCS sends the summons out in bulk.

 

[Ennui]

I've been summoned before (actually only about a year after I became eligible at 18). Here though even if you get a summons it's pretty rare to actually be a juror, because there are like five stages of elimination where 95% of the people don't have to do it. I just had to call a number at a certain time and it told me that I wasn't needed.

 

[hool10]

I was summoned last year to Boston for their federal court and ironically it was the biggest thing that happened to me before Comic-CON when I was laid off. They will pay you for tolls, parking, trains, etc with a check. Yeah I wasn't picked to be a juror but they give you lunch, etc. They also show you what to do and how it's your citizen duty with some ancient 70's video.

I do remember trying not to laugh at some woman though. The judge was like "if you know any of the people involved in this case, please say so", etc. The judge then asked "if you cannot speak English fluently, please do say so now". So this woman stands up and speaks in fluent English "I CANNOT SPEAK ENGLISH, SHOULD I GO"? She had this worried look on her face and it was priceless the judge was almost like "sigh, ya gtfo you cheap freeloader".

To be one of the lucky few who get to be a juror is like winning the lottery. You are picked randomly to even have jury duty. Then the people involved in the case pick out people who they think are the most impartial to the case.

 

[StardogChampion]

I've been summoned before.
Ended up just sitting in a room with other jurors for about 4 hours.
Read a book, talked with them... and then some lady came in and sent us home.

Have fun.

We were called into the courtroom a few times, but then the parties settled and we all got sent home.

I wish these tards would settle before dragging everyone along to court.

 

[love_nutz2]

Have you been Summoned For Jury Service because its your.... destiny.

 

[VirusType2]

Just be a criminal. They'll never summon you.

 

[love_nutz2]

Steal a packet of biscuits and make sure you get caught. You shall been the legend of biscuit stealing.

 

[Letters]

I've never been summoned, but I feel confident that I'd be thrown out by one of the sides just for not being a complete idiot.

(Ed. By this logic, only idiots actually serve on juries... hmmmm. Perhaps.)