Jury service
During jury service you will be asked to decide whether the accused in a Crown court case is innocent or guilty, but there are lots of other responsibilities, too.
Who can be a jury member?
A jury is made up of 12 adults, all UK residents aged between 18 and 70 years old.
The jury is chosen at random from the local Electoral Register.
Jury service is usually compulsory, however there are certain categories of people who can't be selected including:
- Judges;
- Magistrates;
- Solicitors;
- Barristers;
- Ministers of religion;
- Prisoners;
- MPs;
- Members of the armed forces;
- Members of the medical profession;
- Police and probation officers;
- Anyone on bail or who has been on probation within the last five years;
- Anyone sentenced to prison, detention centre, youth custody or community service within the last 10 years.
You may be excused from Jury service if there is a strong reason why you are unable to serve, such as exams or a pre-booked holiday.
How long does jury service last for?
It lasts for around two weeks, however, if at the end of this time the trial is still going, you may be asked if you are able to stay on. You can be a juror for more then one trial during your jury service.
Who can I talk to about the trial?
Once you are a juror you may only discuss the trial in the jury room when all the jury are present. You must not talk about the trial to anyone who is not a member of your jury.
It is an offence for anyone outside your jury to try to influence you about the case. If anyone approaches you about the case tell a court official or police officer at once.
It is an offence for anyone to impersonate a juror and to serve on his or her behalf.
What will I do for money?
You are entitled to meal vouchers for attending court. You can also claim travel expenses and an allowance for other financial loss. Financial loss includes a loss of earnings or benefits, child-minding fees and any other cost you may have incurred as a direct result of jury service.
How do I claim?
Tell your boss as soon as you receive written notification from your local court of the dates they require you to attend. You should receive a Form 5223 (loss of earnings certificate) at the same time. Give this to your payroll office for completion before jury service starts.
Your employer should release you for jury service, if they refuse they will be in contempt of court and liable to a fine or imprisonment. If they refuse to pay, you will be entitled to some compensation from the court, however this will probably be set to the minimum wage.
If your employer tries to sack you over jury service they will be in contempt of court.
More information:
Those called for jury service are given information about what they are expected to do, and are normally shown a short video about trial procedure before the case begins. See our next steps box for more organisations that can offer information.
Article produced by the Choose Action Alliance.
