Have you ever wondered how you get selected to sit on a jury and what happens once you are chosen?
Listen to the latest episode of Inside HMCTS, where we take an in-depth look at jury service and the selection process.
In this episode, we will be joined by Craig Robb, Deputy Director of Crime (Live Services) at HMCTS.
After serving as a juror last year, Craig provides first-hand insights into the jury selection process, what to expect when you're called to serve, and why it is so important.
From eligibility criteria to the support available for jurors, this episode covers everything you need to know about serving on a jury.
Tune in to gain real-life insights and answers to common questions about this vital aspect of the justice system.
Listen to the latest episode now, available wherever you get your podcasts from!
A transcript of the podcast is also available here.
4 comments
Comment by Linda Hogget posted on
Are the jurors allowed to talk about the court case amongst themselves?
Comment by Libby Jones posted on
Hi Linda, thanks for your comment. During the trial, jurors can only discuss the case with the other 11 jurors and only when they are all together. Once the trial is over jurors can discuss the case with anyone, but they must never disclose the conversations had or votes cast while the jury was deliberating to try and reach a verdict (unless it is for the purposes of an investigation into the conduct of any juror). All jurors are handed this notice setting out their legal obligations when they are sworn on to a jury: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notice-to-jurors
Comment by Mariana Turner posted on
Hello,
We are a small maintenance ltd company, just two people. One of us is at the courts as he was called for jury duty. It is been 3 days so far and my colleague/employee has been sitting at the court without doing anything. We have just started trading in mid January and these three days means that we do not get any job done at all, therefore no earning in these three days and it seems that this can go for 2 weeks.
Furthermore, there is around 100 plus people waiting in the same position as him without anyone communicating when will they be called and if there are needed or not. This needs to be addressed as people need to work and cannot afford to be sitting for days and days without not knowing what they need to do, when they will be needed or if they will be needed at all. Unfortunately, we can't afford not to earn any money for 2 weeks.
We are all for doing our duty as citizens but is there any way that this can be organised in a better way? There must be a way to make this more practical and cost efficient. I hope that now that HMCTS is modernising the jury duty system gets modernised as well.
The court is Snarebrooks.
Thank you,
Kind regards,
Mariana
Comment by Libby Jones posted on
Hi Mariana, thanks for your comment.
I’m sorry to hear that your business partner is not having a good experience so far.
The courts will do all they can to avoid jurors waiting too long, but delays can occur. Trials can be delayed due to many different factors, including legal points which cover a range of possible discussions. These are matters that take time and cannot be told to the jury. When at court, jurors should be receiving regular updates throughout the day about the status of the trials listed and when they will be needed to go to a courtroom as part of a jury panel.
Jurors are not paid for doing jury service, but they can claim some money back if their earnings are affected. The court will ask self-employed jurors to compete a loss of earnings form and include evidence of lost earnings, such as a recent tax return. You’ll be told how to claim expenses after your jury service has ended, but you can find more information here: Jury service: What you can claim if you’re an employee - GOV.UK
We have been in touch with our colleagues at Snaresbrook and passed on your comments. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated.
Let me assure you that HMCTS is committed to ensuring that the number of jurors summonsed most closely matches need, in order to protect the public purse but most importantly to make the best use of jurors’ valuable time.