Jury Service

[JohnnyWishbone]

Checked my mail today and discovered a letter from the Ministry of the Attorney General. It wasn't a registered letter.

They're asking me to fill out a mandatory jury eligibility form and mail it back within 30 days.

Has anybody here received the same letter and ignored it ? There's no proof it even arrived since it was not tracked or registered. A few people on reddit claimed they just ignored it and nothing happened.

Even if I do reply I want to get out of doing it since I'll lose a lot of money (self employed). I've read online that they usually excuse self-employed people who are sole bread winners for their household.

 

[Robert Mugabe]

Checked my mail today and discovered a letter from the Ministry of the Attorney General. It wasn't a registered letter.

They're asking me to fill out a mandatory jury eligibility form and mail it back within 30 days.

Has anybody here received the same letter and ignored it ? There's no proof it even arrived since it was not tracked or registered. A few people on reddit claimed they just ignored it and nothing happened.

Even if I do reply I want to get out of doing it since I'll lose a lot of money (self employed). I've read online that they usually excuse self-employed people who are sole bread winners for their household.

I was called once and watched people excuse themselves with success. Terminal illness etc. The best one was "I hear voices. I know who is guilty without hearing the evidence". He got a pass.

 

[Butler1000]

When I got called I showed up on the Monday, with the possibility of being there all week. And at noon they came and said all cases we were potential jurors for were plea bargained out and we were free to go.

I can tell you lots of business types with a self entitled attitude were there. They spread out laptops and paperwork at tables and grumbled constantly.

 

[mandrill]

When I got called I showed up on the Monday, with the possibility of being there all week. And at noon they came and said all cases we were potential jurors for were plea bargained out and we were free to go.

I can tell you lots of business types with a self entitled attitude were there. They spread out laptops and paperwork at tables and grumbled constantly.

I'm glad that you were public spirited and selfless. So many aren't.

 

[Darts]

Even if you convict, the judge will take into account a host extraneous factors in sentencing and the perp will be out on the street in no time.

 

[LTO_3]

In the paperwork you receive there are options that you can check off, legitimately, to remove yourself from jury duty. I received it twice. the first time I filled it in and was called a few weeks later that I didn't have to attend. The seccond time the form had been changed that allowed for a few legitimate reasons to be removed from jury duty.

And yes, legally if you don't respond to a jury notification, unless that has been changed, you can be charged for not responding.

LTO_3

 

[Ponderling]

I got the same letter from the MoAG to screen if I should be in the potential jury pool.
The reply form is in my bag to mail it next time I come across a post box.
Most in my neighborhood have been removed, so it will likely be on Monday on the way to work.

The paperwork noted that next year the aim is to make the replies on a web site.

I have sat in a jury pool about 10 years ago, and was not selected.

 

[mandrill]

Aside from those concerned with missing work, jury duty is actually an interesting experience. Most trials are less than a week long and you'll get to see the legal system in action and participate in making an important decision affecting the lives of those concerned.

I don't see it as something that one should seek to avoid.

 

[Robert Mugabe]

Aside from those concerned with missing work, jury duty is actually an interesting experience. Most trials are less than a week long and you'll get to see the legal system in action and participate in making an important decision affecting the lives of those concerned.

I don't see it as something that one should seek to avoid.

The trial I was called for and thankfully rejected was predicted to last 18 months we were warned. For fucking Hash dealers. Dodged that bullet. I was working at a job almost a couple of years later and happened to open the newspaper to see the trial had just come to an end.
That would be a serious life changer for even a bum like me.

 

[mandrill]

The trial I was called for and thankfully rejected was predicted to last 18 months we were warned. For fucking Hash dealers. Dodged that bullet. I was working at a job almost a couple of years later and happened to open the newspaper to see the trial had just come to an end.
That would be a serious life changer for even a bum like me.

This is one of the controversies in the current criminal justice system. Many are saying multi week or month trials are too great an imposition in the lives of jury members and the right to a jury trial should be restricted for that reason. Perhaps a rule that juries cannot be selected for a trial predicted to take more than 10 days?

 

[bazokajoe]

I received the letter years ago. Filled it out and then got another letter stating I had been selected for jury selection.
Showed up on the date and was selected.
The trial started the next day.
I actually enjoyed being on jury duty.

 

[Robert Mugabe]

I received the letter years ago. Filled it out and then got another letter stating I had been selected for jury selection.
Showed up on the date and was selected.
The trial started the next day.
I actually enjoyed being on jury duty.

Actually. So did I. The trial I got selected for lasted about a week. My job sucked so jury duty was peachy. Show up at ten. Get dismissed sometimes a few minutes later to be called back at 2.00 pm. Wander around downtown. Go to a restaurant. Sometimes with another juror. Actual trial time wasn't long. Get dismissed again at 4.00 pm.
Sequestered in a hotel overnight when were out for deliberations. 5 star dining in the evening. Slap up breakfast a the hotel. 5 star dining for lunch.
Find the guy guilty. Go home.
Would do it again in a heartbeat. lol.

 

[onomatopoeia]

I'm in favour of a legal system with professional jurors, who know the law well, and also know lawyers' in-court tactics. They would make their decisions based solely on facts in evidence, rather than charisma, smoke and mirrors.

For any trial by jury, the pool would be randomly selected, much like how a sports draft lottery works; ping pong balls with numbers on them bounce around in a bin, and each numbered ball represents one of the juror's pool members. The first twelve balls that come out determine the jury for that trial. Neither attorney would be allowed to excuse a juror for any reason. They could even appear in disguise at trials, so that no one would know who they were.

They would be salaried employees of the provincial or federal criminal justice system, and would be paid the same monthly wage, whether they were chosen to work or not. Any juror currently serving on a criminal case would just have their ping pong ball removed, the next time a lottery was held.

 

[bazokajoe]

Actually. So did I. The trial I got selected for lasted about a week. My job sucked so jury duty was peachy. Show up at ten. Get dismissed sometimes a few minutes later to be called back at 2.00 pm. Wander around downtown. Go to a restaurant. Sometimes with another juror. Actual trial time wasn't long. Get dismissed again at 4.00 pm.
Sequestered in a hotel overnight when were out for deliberations. 5 star dining in the evening. Slap up breakfast a the hotel. 5 star dining for lunch.
Find the guy guilty. Go home.
Would do it again in a heartbeat. lol.

The trail I was a juror on last 2 1/2 weeks.
Usually started at 10am, lunch at 12 or 12:30 for a minimum of 1 hour. Usually done around 4pm every day. I went home to eat most days since court house is close to my house.
One day we didn't have to show up until 2pm because judge had other business in morning then got out at 4pm. 2 hour day. Was great.
My job had paid time off for jury duty so I didn't care how long the trial went for.

 

[Darts]

My job had paid time off for jury duty so I didn't care how long the trial went for.

Did the court also paid you per deim?

 

[bazokajoe]

Did the court also paid you per deim?

No.

 

[Darts]

"Levels of jury compensation vary from province to province [see chart] — anywhere from $20 a day in B.C. to $90 a day in Quebec. Some jurisdictions start paying jurors from Day 1 of trial; others don't give compensation until after the 10th day. Many increase the fees on the 11th and then again on the 50th day of trial."
BTW: When I first spelled "diem", the spell check sounded the alarm, the I changed it to "deim".
Jury duty: Unfair burden or civic obligation? | CBC News

 

[JohnnyWishbone]

In the paperwork you receive there are options that you can check off, legitimately, to remove yourself from jury duty. I received it twice. the first time I filled it in and was called a few weeks later that I didn't have to attend. The seccond time the form had been changed that allowed for a few legitimate reasons to be removed from jury duty.

And yes, legally if you don't respond to a jury notification, unless that has been changed, you can be charged for not responding.

LTO_3

I have the paper in front of me and not any options where I legitimately remove myself: I'm a Canadian citizen, am over 18, am not on a special occupations list (lawyer etc.), don't have disabilities (apart from ugly face but doubt if they count that) and don't have a Police record (apart from Walking on the moon by The Police on vinyl).

 

[JohnnyWishbone]

Aside from those concerned with missing work, jury duty is actually an interesting experience. Most trials are less than a week long and you'll get to see the legal system in action and participate in making an important decision affecting the lives of those concerned.

I don't see it as something that one should seek to avoid.

I actually did jury service in another country almost 25 years ago and it was fun and I was fully paid by my employer. Now I am self employed and I stand to lose a small fortune ($1000-1200 per day) for each day I am not working.

Am still pondering whether I should send the form back or not

 

[bazokajoe]

I actually did jury service in another country almost 25 years ago and it was fun and I was fully paid by my employer. Now I am self employed and I stand to lose a small fortune ($1000-1200 per day) for each day I am not working.

Am still pondering whether I should send the form back or not

Just because you send it in doesn't mean you'll be asked to go to jury selection.
If you do get selected you can always prove your case to the judge.
They are pretty forgiving from what I seen.
When I went to selection there was about 75 people. You are assigned a number and then they draw 12 numbers. If your number is called you go before the judge and both attorneys and they can accept or refuse you. They can't ask you any questions and can refuse you for any reason. The judge will ask you if there is any reason why you can't accept jury duty. That's when you make your case. But have proof.
They keep drawing numbers until they get 12 jurors and 2 alternates.