Jury Service

A couple of weeks ago I finally begun my jury service. I was a bit anxious as I walked into the court house. First was security then a walk up some old worn stairs to find the new jurors room. I was the second person there but eventually the room was full of strangers. Nobody really spoke to each other to begin with. I'm guessing that was just nerves. The fact we were sat there from 09:15 to some point in the afternoon meant that eventually we would talk to each other. I seemed to be in the rowdy corner of the room. It was quite nice having a laugh with complete strangers. Eventually the usher came to take us in to court. We all had to stand at the back and if our name was called we had to say yes then take a seat in the jury box. I was hoping I wouldn't be called but I was. When all the extra jurors had left we had to each stand up in turn and read an oath or affirmation. I was the first to read the affirmation and you had to ask for it. I thought my heart would come out of my chest. I stumbled over the first words and was relieved to sit down. I never expected to stand up in court in front of everyone. It was a really intimidating experience. The court was like something from 100 years ago. These days I think they are modern like the ones you see on tv in the USA. I'm quite pleased we got to sit in an old court. It is quite strange seeing barristers and the judge dressed in their wigs and gowns. I guess you just don't really expect it other than on tv shows. The witnesses came and went, the prosecution and defence did their thing. As the days went by it all became normal and familiar. We would go to our room and wait to be called into court then listen to the information. It was the same for the whole week nearly. Then the time came for deliberation. We got taken to our room and our phones removed from us and we had to then decide the fate of this one person. It took us three days of highly charged discussion before a decision was made. There were a lot of emotions in that room. 12 people thrown together to essentially judge the actions of another. It was not an easy situation. When the time came to give the verdicts I remember feeling truly awful. I knew what the judge was going to tell the defendant but I wasn't prepared for him to deliver the sentence. I looked at the defendant as he was told and I don't think I will ever get over that moment. I had been part of sending someone to prison. By the letter of the law he was guilty but it was just a stupid mistake. We have all made stupid mistakes and nothing has come from it. This person had their whole life ruined. That I will never forget. I think it affected us all in different ways. The jurors I had the pleasure of meeting were all really nice and it's a shame we met in such horrible circumstances. In that week we had to deal with so much that unless you have done jury service you will never understand. It took over your whole life, your thoughts. The bit I was most anxious about before I started was deliberation and that is what has caused me the most sleepless nights. The case I was on was bad enough but I feel for any juror who has to hear a case involving any sort of abuse or assault. I just hope I never get called again.

Jury Service Joke

In February i recieved a letter calling me up for jury service just after easter. This clashed with some important uni deadlines so i asked to defer it for 12 months. They then sent me a letter telling me i had to do it in September. Hardly 12 months is it. So if i got a job after graduating this new date was bound to clash with my start date. I did get a job and explained that i had been called up for jury service so arranged to start after it was finished. That all seems fine. Today i got a phone call telling me they have too many jurors and i have two options a) be excused from jury service meaning i wouldn't have to do it or b) stay on jury service. My question is why the hell do they have too many jurors? Do they not think people would make arrangements to fit this in to their schedule? It has really annoyed me that they have waited a week before i'm due to start to tell me this. If they had contacted me sooner i could have changed my plans. As it is i am staying on jury service because i made provisions for it. Bloody idiots. I had better get a decent case!

And so we begin.

The other day i picked up the post and waiting for me was a big brown envelope. I looked at the name printed on the back, Her Majesty's Court Service. My initial thoughts ran through every possible reason i could get summoned to court. Have i not paid a ticket? Have i been implicated in a crime i know nothing off? Is someone claiming money in my name? You get the idea. Then like a slap in the face it hit me, Jury service.

Most people probably never get to do this in the 52 years that you are eligable. So i did feel a pang of guilt at feeling it was a burden rather than a privilege. The biggest reason for me feeling this way was the timing. I'm at a very important stage at Uni and it had the potential to really screw things up. Luckily you can defer for 12 months. So i still have to do it but just not right now.

I was reading up on the interweb about the processes and a)it seems a little bit scary, b)it's one hell of a responsibility and c)it appears to induce a high level of boredom. I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover but it is hard not to sometimes. Who knows it might be one of the most interesting things i have ever had the fortune of being randomly picked to do.