I’ve recently completed a stint of jury service, which lasted a little over two weeks at York Crown Court. For obvious reasons, I can’t blog about the trials I was involved with, but it was a fascinating couple of weeks, and it would be a shame not to share some of the experience with you.
Whenever I mentioned my upcoming service to friends and colleagues, their responses fell into one of two camps: either, “Ugh, I’d hate that! I’d really dread doing jury service!” or, “You lucky sod, I’d love to do that, but I’ve never been asked!” The thought of serving on a jury clearly polarises people, and I must confess, I felt a certain dread when I first received my summons.
My duty was a long time coming. I was originally summoned in early 2005 to attend in April of that year, but as that coincided with my wedding, I deferred until the autumn. When that time approached, I received a phone call informing me that they had too many potential jurors for the week in question, and I was given the option of deferring until a fortnight of my choice in 2006. It was quite an odd question to be asked out of the blue. “Just pick a week!” the moody woman on the phone instructed me, seemingly oblivious to the fact that I might need more than a moment’s consideration. It would have been easier if they hadn’t given me a choice! Eventually, I decided I’d rather take the short stroll to court during the summer months but not when Jocelyn was on summer vacation from her teaching job. And so it was that I found myself pitching up at York Crown Court one Monday morning a few weeks ago.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the architecture. The court building at York is gorgeous, steeped in history, and sits near Clifford’s Tower and the Castle Museum. It must be a lovely place to work, especially in the summer months.
I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly and down-to-earth all the staff were. From the security guards who checked my bags each morning to the ushers and the guy responsible for the jurors, everyone was pleasant and approachable, in stark contrast to the perceived serious and sombre nature of the surroundings. They did everything they could to put us at ease, and it was telling that, while many people turned up in shirt and tie on the first day, the standard of dress noticeably declined in the following days. There’s little pretence required in the role of juror—you’re there to represent the average person on the street, and if that means wearing jeans and a T-shirt, so be it.
If you find yourself summoned for jury service, my number one piece of advice is this: take something to read. There is a lot of sitting around, and no guarantee you will even see a trial during your service. Some redundancy is necessary in case a juror’s suitability is challenged (e.g., if they know the defendant or a key witness), and a surprisingly large number of trials do not proceed due to guilty pleas being entered at the last minute. It can be boring for those of you waiting in the jury room, so a newspaper or a good book is highly recommended.
On my first day, I was sent home at about 1:00 pm.
On my second day, I was sent home at about 12:30 pm.
On my third day, I was sent home at lunchtime and told that, due to a lack of cases, there was no need for me to return until the following week.
At this point, I felt a bit cheated. Here I was, diligently offering my time to faithfully try a peer, and my services weren’t required. I sulked back to the office for two days, grumbling about the court service in general.
The following Monday, I returned to court and met a new group of jurors just starting their stint. They were easily distinguishable by their shirts, ties, and slightly nervous expressions. Had I looked like that just seven days earlier? I scoffed inwardly and reassured them that, if my experience was anything to go by, they wouldn’t see the inside of a courtroom. How wrong I was…
In my second week, I served on two cases. The first was a relatively minor burglary, and the second involved a much more serious set of charges. The atmosphere in the courtroom for both cases was formal and precise, but at no point did I feel nervous or intimidated. In fact, it felt quite proper and natural to be sitting on the jury benches, carefully listening to the cases made by both the prosecution and the defence.
There was a lot to absorb. Before my experience, I thought a day running from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm, with a 75-minute lunch break, sounded like a doddle. But try listening to two and a half hours of continuous evidence from a witness—observing their expressions, mannerisms, and gestures, considering how this squares with other evidence heard earlier or several days ago, and keeping track of the arguments and lines of questioning. It’s surprisingly gruelling, especially if your daily work involves dealing more with computers than people! By 4:30 pm, I was always ready to head home, and it never felt like I’d done only half a day’s work.
Each day, the judge advised us to “switch off,” relax at home, and avoid thinking about the case overnight. Easier said than done. It’s not like watching a TV drama—this is real life, with real defendants facing prison, real victims, and real consequences. You have to take it seriously, and I’m pleased to say that everyone on the two juries I sat on did so.
As I mentioned earlier, it would be unlawful and improper for me to comment on the cases themselves, but I can say that, in both trials, we found the defendants guilty on one or more counts. Neither decision was easy or straightforward, and both were preceded by many hours of engaging and measured debate that restored my faith in my fellow humans (no, really).
Afterwards, I learned details about the defendants—such as their prior records—that would have made the decisions much easier had we known them beforehand. But rightly, this information is withheld; you have to base your judgement solely on the facts of the case, which often don’t tell the whole story.
At the end of my jury service, I returned to the office with renewed confidence in the British judicial system. Does that sound corny? It isn’t meant to. Seeing justice being administered firsthand and having a say in the outcome is an incredibly empowering experience. Would I want to do it every day? Absolutely not. Trying one’s peers is definitely a duty best carried out infrequently, ensuring randomness and a balance that delivers accurate verdicts more often (a bit like choosing which Big Brother housemate to evict?!). But yes, I enjoyed my jury service. And if another envelope with bold pink lettering drops through my letterbox, I’ll look forward to the break from my usual routine.