Jury Duty... NF

[dave524]

So this week I get a letter in the mail from the Attourney General.. Sheriff's Office-Jury Administration.. fill out the questionaire and mail it in.. hec I'm a good citizen, vote and jury duty in the same week So. I'm retired and I think this might be kinda interesting to do... am I delusional . Any one who has done this have any comments? what are the chances of being selected ? Do they feed ya and pay mileage as I would assume I would have to go to St Catharines about 20 miles ?

[lew]

My wife has been called up twice and selected once. It was a 3 day trial and they stayed in a downtown Toronto hotel at night. She found it interesting and like you, figured she'd done her part as a good citizen.

 

I'd sure hate to get stuck on some loooong trial, specially during the summer months.

[Roy]

Can't help you with that Dave...I've never been called. It'd be interesting but I agree with Lew.

 

 

I'd sure hate to get stuck on some loooong trial, specially during the summer months.

 

I hear ya, Lew. HA! I wonder how many poor suckers have been found guilty with only a few minutes of deliberation the day before muskie opener.

[lew]

I know how I'd be voting Roy

[bassdreamer]

I've been to it three times and been picked once.The trial was for three days and every day they would give us ttc tokens to go home and to return back the next day .I guess it all depends on the trial ,if you stay in a hotel or go home at night ? I asked why i was selected ,and they told me ,they get the names from the election voting list !

[dannyboy]

I have have done jury duty twice in the last ten years and been selected for a jury once, it was interesting to see the judicial process and I felt it was an honor to be part of it.

They pay you and give you mileage but it is a tiny amount, for me it worked out to $16 a day for a two day trial and I drove about 15 miles.

 

The way it worked for me was that I showed up along with about 60 other people on a Monday there was a judge and several lawyers. The judge first asked if anyone had reason they couldn't serve. After listening to all the classic excuses - single owner of a business, single parent that needs to earn a living, can't sit for more than 15 minutes due to medical problem and so on; the only person excused was an elderly lady that had the correct medical form signed by her doctor, the rest got a lecture about doing their civic duty and were told to sit back down.

 

Each potential juror was given a number and a number was called at random, that person would approach the bench and was asked a couple questions and either selected or rejected. Once that jury was full they would repeat the process until they had enough for that day and then you were sent home until the next day. This was repeated for the rest of the week.

I was selected the first time I served for the second trial on the Monday, the trial was Tuesday and Wednesday, we were only fed while in deliberation which was lunch on Wednesday. So I was done Wednesday and other potential jurors had to still show up until Friday. My employer was good enough to pay me for those days but they are not obliged to.

 

I learned not to believe the stuff people told me about getting out of jury duty as most of it was a myth - there are few valid reasons to get out of it.

 

Dan

[Rattletrap2]

My experience was pretty much as dannyboy explained it. I was not selected, but had to show up every day for the process. The part that bothered me was that we would have to wait out in the hall while the Lawyers haggled over each case to see if they could settle it without a trial. I thought they should have been able to do this process BEFORE we got there! The whole week went by with only a few jurors being required. The only pay I got was about $4.50 per day (not enough for lunch!) and it was boring as hell. Being retired, you might enjoy the whole thing though.

[fishing n autograph]

i'm glad i'm exempt from Jury Duty

[lew]

.

Edited October 8, 2011 by lew

[tjsa]

I got one of those letters 2 yrs. ago. Ended up not going to the interview process because it was settled out of court.

 

Not knowing what was going to happen, I called my bud`s wife(Crown Attorney), and asked her what the deal was. She said basically, if you aren't a career criminal or total nut job, or have a conflict of interest in the case, your chances of being selected for the jury were pretty good, even though the jury pool(you are one of possibly 100 people)are quite good. If I showed up, and she was there along with the defense lawyer(I have known her for over 20 yrs)I would have probably been disqualified.

 

I was actually looking forward to it, but it didn't happen. As far as compensation, my workplace is obligated to pay me 75% of my regular pay while on jury duty. You being retired, probably not much in the way of compensation. If you cannot get to court because of some kind of incapacity, transportation will be provided by the Sheriff's office to get you there. Otherwise, you have to get yourself there by any means necessary. I believe that was stated in the letter that I received.

 

If it is a major trial, you will be compensated in some manner. You may also possibly be sequestered in a hotel for the duration of the trial, however long it takes, and that would suck if it was near the closing of walleye season.

[irishfield]

Last time I was requested to appear it was the jury selection for the Milton Mob bosses kid that "allegedly" murdered his wife in ~ 1983. I almost ended up in jail myself getting out of that one...

 

Leah's been picked for duty twice. One for a very serious assult charge. Sequestered night after night trying to get all of the jury on the same side of the vote, only to find the guy not guilty in then end and watch the couple walk out of the court hand in hand. What a waste of tax payers money.

 

Second time it was a murder trial and I didn't see her for weeks, turning me into Mr. Mom with three little kids to chase... there is enough rolling around in your mind you don't need to add the details of one of those to keep you up at night.

 

She now has a blanket Doctors note that she can't appear...

 

As for renumeration... is absolutely minimal and won't even start to cover your daily expenses, unless as Tom noted your employer is union contracted to pay you (which shouldn't be their responsibility).

Edited October 8, 2011 by irishfield

[Rich Clemens]

I've received the call three times.

 

1). I got selected and sat on a 1-day trial for a man accused of shop lifting.

 

2). Was not selected and released after the first day.

 

3). Selected to sit on a Jury. Case was about a male accused of forcing another young male to perform certain unmentionable things. Arrived for the first day of the trial and sat in a back room while they worked out a plea. Kinda glad they reached a deal and we were released. That would have been a rather sickening thing to sit through.

 

Should be about time for another call. They used to go by voter registration, but found they weren't getting enough prospective jurers. Now I believe PA is pulling info from Driver's licenses. One good thing, once you reach age 70, you can exempt yourself from ever being called again.

[Billy Bob]

Picked 3 times....

 

Once for assault, kip napping, weapons and robbery. Sent the 2 of them to the big house.

 

Once for Federal court on loan sharking by a Canadian man who was lured over the boarder to comment a crime in NF NY.....I held out because the whole thing stuck of Bull by the FBI but finally caved and sent the old man to federal prison.

 

Third time they settled the case before it went to court.

 

Bottom line....it's nothing like on TV....mostly BORING and you get to meet a lot of shady characters in the court room and as fellow jurors...

 

While I was there I kept thinking.....everyone here is making BIG BUCKS except me...and the criminals.. ....but then I find out some criminals are collecting pensions and or S.S. benefits even while in prison...

[nofish4me]

Just finished a 4 day trial. No compensation from Union, Employer, or Gov., until day #10.

It was a very interesting process. Glad to have done it.

There is some very interesting stuff available on the "net" about Jury's.

Watch "12 Angry Men", sometime.

[fishing n autograph]

I've been a part of a few jury trials and I feel bad for perspective jurors having to sit there all day and get paid $30. That's why I'm glad I'm exempt

[Billy Bob]

I've been a part of a few jury trials and I feel bad for perspective jurors having to sit there all day and get paid $30. That's why I'm glad I'm exempt

 

As a volunteer FF I was exempt...but our lovely state decide to pull that exemption from us...

[Tybo]

I'm exempt.But not for the reason you guy's are.

[fishing n autograph]

You hate everyone equally and can tell a person is guilty just by looking at them?

[Pikeslayer]

Being hearing impaired has many advantages :whistling: Permanent exemption from JD is just one.

 

Slayer

[Terry]

been twice for jury duty .... sat around go into a court room they pick some people, not me and we go home back again and same thing...

 

I think that they think I have tourette syndrome cause I make jerking motions and swear uncontrollably..while in the court rooms

 

worked so far, hope they don't ask fopr a doctors note

[fishing n autograph]

Hey what a coincidence, I do that on the stand lol

[Billy Bob]

The one thing NYS does and probably Ontario is we can defer the call one time....so every time I deffered to winter months. Also last June (2010) I got ANOTHER notice....I answered all the question using their new online option and never heard from them again.

[dave524]

thanks for relating all the experiences, good and bad. The one consistent thing seems to be is once you are called there is no way out, guess I make the best of it

[nofish4me]

There are ways out. One of them, that took me by surprise; a guy said it was against his religion, he was a Christian and it was against his religion to place judement on someone. Judge said "Go sit down".

[ch312]

i got the letter a few days ago...

 

what happens if you don't respond? i'm assuming they'll tell you to go home after you make your judgement before court even starts?

 

i'm all for doing the right thing, but i don't like the idea of being forced to lose hundreds of dollars per day with zero compensation. maybe take some money away from caring for the crooks in jail and put it towards compensation for jurors? nah, that would make sense