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Page 1 of 2 It can be an ordeal and it can disrupt your life, but as Penny Cottee discovers, jury duty is a responsibility we all take seriously.
When the letter drops on the doormat summoning you to do jury service, chances are you will feel the same as the many other recipients of those missives before you: curiosity tinged with anxiety. On reading her letter of summons one morning last December, the reaction of Sylvia Leitch, a member of Moore and Daresbury WI in Cheshire, was typical of many. "I was pleased to be given a chance to do my civic duty and to see at first hand how our judicial system works," she says, "But I did also feel quite apprehensive." The apprehension clearly stems from the realisation that as a juror you will make decisions that affect someone else's life - no small responsibility. And the curiosity comes from the fact that, for most of us, jury service represents the first time we have seen a courtroom in action. So what can we expect when we turn up for that first morning at court? According to many WI members, the short answer is "plenty of waiting". Juries are selected from a large pool of people summoned to the courthouse that day, who wait in the jury assembly area. If your name is called you proceed to a court. More people are called than are needed in that court, to ensure a random selection, so some return to the jury area. If not challenged by the lawyers for any reason, and providing that you do not know any of the major players - the defendant, say, or the barristers - you will be one of the 12 jurors for that case. You will swear your oath - or the non-religious equivalent, the affirmation - and take your place in the jury box. However, it's quite common to wait all day, or even several days, and never see the inside of a courtroom. The message is, take something to help while away the hours. (But be careful what you choose. Doreen Clark from Goodwins Evening WI in East Kent recalls settling down at Canterbury Crown Court to add some rows of plain and purl, "but they confiscated my knitting needles as 'dangerous items'!") Once on the jury, you sit for the duration of the case. The average trial lasts a day and a half, after which time you return to the Jury Area, and wait to be called again. If the judge expects a trial to be longer than two weeks, they will try to ensure at the outset that only those people who can spare longer than two weeks will be selected as jurors. Jury service is voluntary, but you can claim expenses for costs incurred, such as travel or extra childcare. Jurors are given a subsistence allowance for food and drink, but this is "measly" according to Doreen: "We had to take our own sandwiches." Your employer should pay you while on jury service - though they are not obliged to. However, new laws in June 2006 protect employees from being discriminated against or sacked because of jury service. For the self-employed, jury service can be challenging financially and many try to refuse serving. When Olivia Gardner of St Sebastians WI in Berkshire was called to Reading Crown Court many fellow jurors were self-employed who "tried their darndest to get out of it". Sometimes you may be excused, but if not, a letter from an accountant stating your loss of earnings should enable you to be reimbursed for income lost. "I was temping at the time and realised I would lose two weeks' money," says Olivia. "I asked the recruitment agency to sign a letter for me to that effect and I was able to claim the money back from the court." While living in Kent, she was subsequently called to do a second stint, this time at Maidstone Crown Court. Heavy responsibility
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