| Jury Service
Posted: 5/12/2006 5:00:11 PM | I am currently on Jury service, I have just finished the first week and I must say I am pleasantly surprised.
I had expected to spend most of the time bored, reading my book, not being called as a jurer and thinking that it was a complete waste of my time, when I have a very busy job to do anyway.
I was called to serve as a jurer on a trial the very first day and it is so complex/technical it will last the best part of two weeks. While others on the jury service are sitting as jurers for one day or two day trials and are sitting around more than I, I am finding the whole experience to be incredibly interesting, informative and I am taking my role in this very very seriously. Obviously!
2 questions.
Some people feel that 12 jurers should not be allowed to decide the guilt or innocence of a defendant as they have no formal legal qualifications. Having been on this case a whole week, I think the 12 of us are so completely diverse, different backgrounds, cultures, professions etc...that we are in fact giving a very fair and balanced argument to the hearing. What do you think about this?
Has anyone else served as a jurer and had a similar experience or was it the complete opposite, just an annoyance that stopped you from getting on with your busy life/job? | |
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| Jury Service
Posted: 5/12/2006 6:07:09 PM | the whole court system is out of date these days. i mean.. they still do the swearing on the bible yea? but how many people in this country actually follow christianity? im guessing its less than 50% so you have some witness swearing on something that means nothing to them.. hmm.. we need mind probes and nanobots that scan the mind and view the truth as black and white, none of this grey matter in which judges and jury go by these days..
the law is an ass  | |
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| Jury Service
Posted: 5/12/2006 6:36:10 PM | You havent done your homework Silent surfer
You no longer have to swear on the bible and haven't had to for years, its your choice.
Most people affirm these days which is an affirmation of the law and to serve it to the best of your ability. No God in it anywhere!!!
They have religious books for all other religions too.
so not so old and antiquainted after all! | |
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| Jury Service
Posted: 5/13/2006 2:10:49 AM | | I haven't read the OP's original post because it was far too long and I only do one paragraph as a rule, but I would just like to say, go and watch 12 Angry Men and you'll learn everything you've every wanted to know about jury service, the only difference being the world is in colour now and not in black and white like it was in the olden days before crayons. | |
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Posted: 5/13/2006 2:16:01 AM | Buxom.. I was called up for Jury Service in 1997, but the dates was the same time my lad was having his Tonsils out so i got out of it, but it was real hard to get out of it... they wanted to know ifthere was anyone else that could be with my son in the hospital etc etc...
To be honest I would have loved to have done it, just for the experience, but at the end of it, i may not of been picked anyway, as you already said they only pick 12 and i think 15 are actually called there on the day. And i have heard from other mates that yes there are alot of hours hanging around!! | |
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| Jury Service
Posted: 5/13/2006 2:32:06 AM | I was the same NFG.....
I got picked for jury duty and had always wanted to go. It was for Court 1 at Glasgow High Court, so I thought for sure it would be a good case.
I didn't tell my boss til the last possible minute, but the git still managed to get me out of it. I was spectacularly unimpressed as I had realy wanted to go. I probably wouldn't have been picked right enough knowing my luck but I would've liked to have given it a go.... | |
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| Jury Service
Posted: 5/13/2006 3:24:23 AM | The whole point behind having 12 ordinary members of the public is that you are tried by your peers. Also, the prosecutions job is to present its case in a way that will both be easily understood and include the relevant statutes etc.
The jury service thus ensures that even the most common of people are involved in the justice system, and have the right to determine that the law is upheld.
Do you really want to face a panel of judges? | |
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re28
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Joined: 5/9/2006
Msg: 8 | |
| Jury Service
Posted: 5/13/2006 4:14:29 AM | i was chosen for jury service years ago and although i wanted to get out of it, not wanting to do it at all but realising i couldn't get out of it, i thought it was fantastic and would do it again for sure if i was chosen to.
i was chosen right away for a case which lasted about a week i think, and it was so interesting to hear both sides of the story. i loved being there.
some people found it boring, having to go in everyday and wait to hear whether they'd been chosen or not, but i was lucky to be chosen for a case on the first day.
i'm not sure about the questions you asked, whether it's right to have 12 people who know nothing about law, i don't know. i think the decision made by myself and the jurors was the right decision, having seen all the evidence and listened to witnesses etc...
i don't think people have to be wise about the law to decide whether someone is guilty of something or not, providing there is evidence.
enjoy the rest of your time doing jury service!! | |
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| Jury Service
Posted: 5/13/2006 4:25:32 AM | I always find bribing the judge or nobiling the jury works quite well for me!!
OT I agree with Msg 7, I would much rather be judged by a jury of 12 good men and women than by a panel of judges who are usualy out of touch with whats going on in the world and should be in a retirement home enjoying their pension, a bit harsh maybe but i think the average age of judges is to high and needs to be brought down | |
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Posted: 5/13/2006 4:35:17 AM | The very point I was making, and which you accepted to a degree, is that the jurors do not need to have a knowledge of the law in order to decide someone's guilt. It is the job of the prosecution to explain why a particular act breached a particular law. It is also the job of the prosecution to establish that such an act actually occurred, and by the person in the dock.
If the prosecution is unable to do the three simple tasks, either the judge will dismiss the case, or the jury will acquit.
I'm glad that are confident enough to state that you only "think" that your decision was correct - wouldn't you rather be 100% convinced either way? | |
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Posted: 5/13/2006 4:50:36 AM | | Knowing what my mental ability is and oppinion on some subjects if I am a sample that might end up on a jury,which thankfull so far I have not,I think that jurys are very risky. but until we do have a mind probe what alternative is there? | |
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Posted: 5/13/2006 8:07:57 AM | I agree Gary that being tried by 12 ordinary people form all walks of life does in fact work.
When I told people I was going to serve, this question came up whether I would be qualified to serve on a jury, which i thought was an insult being an exceptionally bright soul 
As you stated, both the prosecution and the defence have made sure that all through the trial we as the jurers are made aware of the legal ramifications and any technical information has been put into laymans terms.
I did origianally try and get out of jury service but the was law changed as too many people were getting their employers to write in and "get them off". You can only defer once and can only be removed from jury service on medical reasons now. | |
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| Jury Service
Posted: 5/13/2006 8:18:55 AM | Given some of the decisions made by our eminent legal brains, who act as if they live on a cloud sometimes, I think a panel of your peers is the only sensible option.
'Lots of intelligence, and no common sense' springs to mind. And are they impartial?
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,15149-1618523,00.html
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| Jury Service
Posted: 5/13/2006 12:58:54 PM | how can you be tryed by your 12 likeminded people when if you have a criminal record you cant serve on a jury 
and yes i have been called and served  | |
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Posted: 8/3/2009 11:49:00 PM | Bringing back an old thread, (I did a thread search ), I am currently on Jury Service. Not only is it a welcome break from my dreary job, it is also fascinating. I am really glad I have been asked to do Jury Service.
Have any of you been on a Jury. What did you think of the experience. Has it changed your opinion about the legal system. Do you think the method of selecting a jury is fair. I would like to hear your comments. | |
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Posted: 8/4/2009 12:00:10 AM |
I am currently on Jury Service. Not only is it a welcome break from my dreary job, it is also fascinating. I am really glad I have been asked to do Jury Service.
Are you open to a back hander SB ?? I didn't do it honest ......I was strolling around Hampstead heath and my jeans become loose and all of a sudden found some bloke up me 'arris !!!!!
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Posted: 8/4/2009 12:01:13 AM | Yes,, I've done jury service and I loved every minute of it to be honest.
Like the OP said we had a very diverse group.
It was a break from work but it wasn't a breeze in some ways.
There had been an attack on a member from another jury while our case was going on so security was pretty tight at the time.
Something which I remember spooked me at the time was that one of the defendants would turn and look me in the eye in response to a question I had asked - he didn't know the questions were from me. The other jurors pointed this out to me before I even noticed.
Once the other jurors spotted it they never let me go anywhere around the courthouse alone.
They were a bunch of great people, wish I had kept in touch with some of them. | |
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| Jury Service
Posted: 8/4/2009 12:08:56 AM | Yeah I been on a jury, thought it was a great experience... In Liverpool Crown Court there is a massive room, I'd say about 200 prospective jurors if not more, complete with subsidised cafe, knitting, magazines and comfy chairs and not so comfy chairs. The atmosphere was incredibly friendly and when names where getting called out if one of your "gang" got called everybody would be quite sad to see them go! It is a very unique experience.
It reinforced my belief in the British judicial system to be honest as no-one makes decisions lightly. We all agonised over the verdicts and at the end of the day most people use their common sense to come to a descision. Though you will always find prejudist people, it would be very rare to find 12 in one room. I think it is a very fair system.
Agggh I wish POF had a system where you could do a search and if the thread you wanted to start was more than say a year old, then you could start a new one off. Its annoying to read through 10 posts and realise they are 4 years old. | |
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| Jury Service
Posted: 8/4/2009 12:17:41 AM | Agggh I wish POF had a system where you could do a search and if the thread you wanted to start was more than say a year old, then you could start a new one off. Its annoying to read through 10 posts and realise they are 4 years old.
Good point, although that's the rule at the moment unfortunately.
Our room also held about that many with the restaurant section combined, but not too subsidised. A prepacked sandwich is £2.80, but there is a lunch allowance. | |
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Posted: 8/4/2009 2:03:30 AM | I did Jury Service about 7 years ago and it was an interesting and educational experience, but at times very frustrasting - some jurors treated it like a 'holiday' from work.
Verdict was guilty, eleven to one, but I will never forget one juror who was very vocal about the guilty verdict turning to the juror who had voted not-guilty saying " I am glad because if I meet him in the street I can say that I was the one who didn't find him guilty".
Overall I was impressed by the judge rather than other professionals involved in the legal process. | |
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Posted: 8/4/2009 2:12:17 AM | I did jury service a couple of years ago , the case lasted 4 months
the 12 of us were all so different and we didnt reach a 100% verdict in the end and the case was dismissed to be tried again, so waste of time. all because one woman made stupid comments about everything, one tried to take over , two never wanted to give a final decision and wouldnt agree with anything.
We tried to have fair discussions and come to a fair decision about all counts on the case ( there were 15 ) but every time someone said something one woman made snide comments about what was said, she upset most of the other jurors with her comments.
However , I enjoyed doing jury service and would do it again, so I could have my say without being ridiculed by that person. | |
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Posted: 8/4/2009 2:58:59 AM | When I did jury duty at the start of the year, the most part consisted of sitting in a cramped waiting room for hours on end everyday then being told to go home as you wasn't needed. The only time I did see the inside of a courtroom, I wasn't picked for the jury... Fortunately I was Ill and did not have to finish it else I would have probably been held in contempt for snoring.  | |
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Scints
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Joined: 6/11/2009
Msg: 23 | |
| Jury Service
Posted: 8/4/2009 3:09:20 AM | How do they pick the jury?
My sister has done it about 10 times, and I've never done it. | |
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Posted: 8/4/2009 3:26:35 AM | I'm not allowed to do jury service which is a bugger!
The whole reason behind it being 'normal people' sitting on a jury is surely so that a wide cross section of the public bring their views intto play when deciding if the case has been proved 'beyond reasonable doubt'. It is the prosecution and defense who need to prove the person's guilt or innocence to you, an ordinary member of the public.......so therefore it does not matter what your background is. | |
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| Jury Service
Posted: 8/4/2009 3:31:09 AM | I'm not allowed to do jury service which is a bugger!
Is that because the cake-baking industry is vital for the country?
I'm not allowed to do it either.....But thats because i used to be a bit of a naughty boy before transforming into the fine upstanding pillar of the community i am today.
It's a decent enough system, better than the bunch of JP's in a magistrates court thats for sure....(imo of course) | |
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