Jury Service
A few weeks back I got a letter calling me for jury service, not this week coming but the week after. Now I *know* full well that it will be the biggest anticlimax of the year, but I’m quite looking forward to it. One of the weeks is a bit awkward as Steve’s parents are away, so Steve is at work full time with none of the usual flexibility, but I’m hoping that with enough friends on call I can cover Josiah and the after school hours should I have to. Everyone I’ve ever spoken to who’s done jury service before has said it’s a lot of waiting around and in all likelihood you won’t get called anyway.
But still, knowing that they obviously call more people than they use, I wasn’t expecting a phonecall this afternoon asking if I wanted to be excused! I guess a lot of people *would* like to be excused, so the lady on the phone seemed surprised when I said that I didn’t mind doing it … so she left me in the pool and carried on working down the list. But now I’m wondering if it’s a bit weird to actually want to do it?! Did I read one too many John Grishams in my youth?
June 1st, 2007 at 17:17
I think I’d be interested to do it, but I don’t think I could say I’d enjoy it IYSWIM. Hope it goes well and it’s nothing too horrible you have to make a decision on!
June 1st, 2007 at 17:26
Let me know if I can help with any childcare. I may be around a bit.
June 1st, 2007 at 17:48
The one and only time I was ever called up for jury service, I was about four months pregnant with Adam. It would have meant a train and tube journey every day up to the Old Bailey (I lived in SE London at the time). So I wimped out. Awful morning sickness. Morning, noon and night for the entire nine months as it turned out. Still regret in a way not doing it, so no, I don’t think you’re weird for wanting to!
I could help out with childcare too, I think. If you dropped Joe here. Or we could cycle over to yours. As long as it’s not raining! Which sounds like I’m already backing out of my offer. Which I’m not. Honest!
June 1st, 2007 at 17:52
Thanks guys
I think Steve’s sister is going to have Joe for the first day, then I’ll have to play it by ear a bit after that.
June 1st, 2007 at 18:34
I’d do it. Tony did it last year and found it very interesting.
June 1st, 2007 at 18:59
Do you think you can take your lap top in then Sarah
June 1st, 2007 at 19:48
Guess it depends what sort of case you get, we had a talk at work the other day from some of the forensic reporting officers and to be honest I would not want to have to listen to some of the cases they deal with.
June 1st, 2007 at 21:18
I’ve done it… really bad sort of case, horrible – hope you get something more lightweight. It is a strange, unique kind of experience. You are treated really well in the courthouse, given nice lunches etc. and I found that we bonded very well as a jury.
June 1st, 2007 at 21:55
i would love to too!
June 1st, 2007 at 22:08
yep and me, I’ve always worried that if I got the ‘chance’ to do it it would be when I would have to refuse due to childcare but actually I’d find it really interesting.
June 1st, 2007 at 22:54
I did it about 10 years ago. The case I got wasn’t particularly pleasant for me because of the nature of the offence and it was hard not being able to talk to anyone about it outside of the jury room until it was all done but we convicted the guy after a summing up by the judge that all but told us to do so. I would do it again though as I sort of feel that it’s one of those responsibilites that comes with living in a country with the right to trial by jury.
June 1st, 2007 at 23:17
If you are lucky you’ll end up with one of those trials lasting a couple of months……
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:29
Well if Steve turns up at Kessingland without me you’ll know what’s happened
June 2nd, 2007 at 8:44
I’;d do absolutely anything to be excused. Max did it and got 2 really awful cases that really shook him and knowing my luck, i’d get the crime of the century that would take a year.
June 2nd, 2007 at 8:52
just goes to show then, I bet there would be other people relieved to be knocked off the list, so I wasn’t wrong to say I’d stay on it.
I’m quite selfishly looking forward to having a good reason to have two whole weeks to sit and read/peoplewatch, with no children annoying me (Daddybean read my mind, lol, although I don’t want to miss my summer holiday!).
Would be nice to do something useful while I’m there as well though! I guess I wouldn’t like something too harrowing but then again *someone* has to be on the jury in those sorts of cases.