Rules of Jury Service

If you are called to sit on a jury it is important they you are aware of the rules that you must abide by. As you are being asked to decide on the guilt or innocence of a person accused of a crime, or the cause of death if you have been called to a coroner’s court, you must always conduct yourself sensibly during the case each time you attend the court.

The rules that are laid down for jurors to follow are there to not only ensure a fare trial takes place, the rules also protect the jurors who may be involved in a highly sensitive cases.

You Must Always:

• Return pages 3 and 4 of your jury summons form within 7 days of receiving it. If you do not reply to the jury summons form you could face a fine of up to £1,000.
• Make sure you keep pages 1 and 2 of your jury summons form in a safe place as you must bring these with you when you come to the court on the first day.
• Only discuss the case you are involved with when you are in the designated jury room.
• Inform the court officials if anyone approaches you about the case your jury is involved with that is not a jury member.
• Bring any evidence relating to any claim for expenses or loss of earnings you may have. Loss of earnings must be shown on the official Certificate of Loss of Earnings.
• Arrive promptly at court for each day that your case is running.

You must never:

• Discuss the case you are involved with anyone who is not a member of your own jury.
• Forget to attend the court where your jury is sitting, or be incapable of attending because of drink or drugs. These offences could mean you are fined up to £1,000.
• Bring a camera, mobile phone, laptop or other recording equipment into the courtroom.
• Let anyone else take your place on a jury. It is a criminal offence to impersonate a sitting juror.
• Take any notes you have made in the courtroom home with you. This information is sensitive and could affect the case your jury is sitting on.

What Happens if I Break these Rules?

If you don’t follow the rules that are set out for all jury members you face a fine of up to £1,000 for lesser offences such as not completing forms or being late at court. However, it’s important that you understand that the jury is part of the legal system. If you discuss your case with anyone other than another jury member, you could be perverting the course of justice, which is a much more serious offence.

In the courtroom

All members of the jury will be told in advance of the trial what their responsibilities are. If at any time during the trail you are unsure about anything, you should write this down and attract the attention of the court clerk who will pass the note to the judge. Don’t try and contact anyone else in the court, as it’s only the court clerk who can pass messages.

Foreman or Presiding Juror

The jury that you serve on will have a foreman or forewoman. They are elected before the trail begins. They guide the jury to their verdict and speak in court when the judge asks for the juries’ verdict to be given. When you are in the courtroom you must only contact the court’s clerk if you need to report anything and not your jury foreperson as this is not part of their duties.

If you are in any doubt about your duties as a juror, contact the Jury Central Summoning Bureau for help. You can telephone them on: 08453 555 567 or send them an email at: jurysummoning@hmcourts-service.gsi.gov.uk.

If you live in Northern Ireland you can contact the Jury Management Team on: 028 7126 1329. If you live in Scotland you can contact civil jurors court of session on: 0131 240 6772 or for criminal jurors at the high court of justiciary on: 0131 240 6907.