I hate Jury Duty!

[jonesy]

I received a summons for a date a few weeks ago, but 4 days prior, they phoned me to say court that day was cancelled. So I was off the hook. I had been looking forward to it but only because my company would have paid me while I was away and it might have been quite interesting. Ended up just fine that I didn't have to go.

[littlenom]

I received a summons for a date a few weeks ago, but 4 days prior, they phoned me to say court that day was cancelled. So I was off the hook. I had been looking forward to it but only because my company would have paid me while I was away and it might have been quite interesting. Ended up just fine that I didn't have to go.

I agree, I think I would like going for the interest of the whole proceedings! But, if I had to spend time in jury duty it wouldn't be a financial strain on my household really, so that makes a difference for me. If it would be a financial burden I don't know if I would be keen on it.

[Safyre]

I don't know why they don't ask people who are retired or unemployed to do it?

Because you are to be judged by a jury of your peers. If you are a 18 year old defendant, do you really want to be judged by a panel of 65 year olds?

Let us remember that in for our judicial system to work, we need a jury. It is a privilege to serve, not a curse. If you went on trial, do you want to be judged by one person (the judge) or a panel of your peers? Remember that jury duty isn't something to 'get out of', it is something that should make you proud to complete as a Canadian.

I was sent a letter saying I may be selected, and I didn't hear further, and was disappointed. Yes, times are tough in my household and I wouldn't have wanted to miss a lot of work, but we can pull the purse strings a little tighter to accommodate jury duty selection. Heck I am unemployed right now and we are still surviving, so one or two days would not kill me.

[saveadollardiva]

I understand were you are coming from Safyre, but in my case do you want someone with a sever anxiety disorder, who has panic attacks daily and who has other health issues to be on the jury as well? I am sorry my health is important, if i am not healthy how am I going to be any help to anyone if I am not healthy?

Also, I have a job, and yes, I need to work to provide for my family as I have bills to pay. I am happy that in your case you are doing well, but everyones financial needs are different.

And so what about age? The legal system is for everyone and everyones rights. The legal system does not change if your 19 or 65? I am sure people who are older know the law and would be good on any jury. Plus people are human and no right from wrong.

That is just my thoughts on it.

[rachel1496]

I was called once and got excused because I have small kids and no childcare. If you want me there you'd better be willing to pay me enough to cover daycare at the very least.

[Safyre]

I understand were you are coming from Safyre, but in my case do you want someone with a sever anxiety disorder, who has panic attacks daily and who has other health issues to be on the jury as well? I am sorry my health is important, if i am not healthy how am I going to be any help to anyone if I am not healthy?

Also, I have a job, and yes, I need to work to provide for my family as I have bills to pay. I am happy that in your case you are doing well, but everyones financial needs are different.

And so what about age? The legal system is for everyone and everyones rights. The legal system does not change if your 19 or 65? I am sure people who are older know the law and would be good on any jury. Plus people are human and no right from wrong.

That is just my thoughts on it.

Do you understand how a jury of your peers is to work? A 19 year old and 65 year old, while are peers in some respect, their lives are incredibly different, they're experiences different, and therefore not necessarily a true representation of 'peers'. This example was used due to your wording about having retired people on jury.

I agree that everyone's financial needs are different, if you are failing to provide a contingency plan for missed days, you're really only hurting yourself. If you miss days due to illness, or jury duty, it is the same, missed work that you need to account for in your budget. This could bring me into a rant of my own. Watch Til Debt Do Us Part, follow her guidelines and see if you still have issues with budget.

As for having someone with panic attacks on the jury - perhaps that is needed if the person accused acted irrationally due to their own panic attack. Who else would better understand than someone else that has attacks?

[lghend]

I was called years ago (I was 22 at the time and newly pregnant) for a case in a neighbouring town. It was a case where an older man raped a young girl. They passed on me, which was smart. I don't think I could have been impartial in a case like that at that age.

[tjthemanto]

Because you are to be judged by a jury of your peers. If you are a 18 year old defendant, do you really want to be judged by a panel of 65 year olds?

Let us remember that in for our judicial system to work, we need a jury. It is a privilege to serve, not a curse. If you went on trial, do you want to be judged by one person (the judge) or a panel of your peers? Remember that jury duty isn't something to 'get out of', it is something that should make you proud to complete as a Canadian.

I was sent a letter saying I may be selected, and I didn't hear further, and was disappointed. Yes, times are tough in my household and I wouldn't have wanted to miss a lot of work, but we can pull the purse strings a little tighter to accommodate jury duty selection. Heck I am unemployed right now and we are still surviving, so one or two days would not kill me.

But its not one or two days.

They take 2-3 days just to select the jury.

My dad was called once for the selection. He had to go there 3 days just for the selection ..he wasn't selected in the end , but for 3 whole days ( week days ) he just had to sit there without pay among the pool to be selected.

If he had been actually selected , it would have been another 10 days or so without pay ..or even longer .

If you get a wrongful traffic ticket and fight it , a cop shows up at the court . They have to be paid minimum 4 hrs salary even if they come their for just 15 mins according to union rules and these are guys making 40-60 bucks per hr , not sure why they get paid 4 hrs for showing up for 15 mins , but a single mom doing a minimum wage job gets paid nothing for showing up for jury duty for days on end.

Not only they get paid , lot of times its overtime pay at 1.5 times for showing up .

[tjthemanto]

Do you understand how a jury of your peers is to work? A 19 year old and 65 year old, while are peers in some respect, their lives are incredibly different, they're experiences different, and therefore not necessarily a true representation of 'peers'. This example was used due to your wording about having retired people on jury.

I agree that everyone's financial needs are different, if you are failing to provide a contingency plan for missed days, you're really only hurting yourself. If you miss days due to illness, or jury duty, it is the same, missed work that you need to account for in your budget. This could bring me into a rant of my own. Watch Til Debt Do Us Part, follow her guidelines and see if you still have issues with budget.

As for having someone with panic attacks on the jury - perhaps that is needed if the person accused acted irrationally due to their own panic attack. Who else would better understand than someone else that has attacks?

You get sick pay for that ..but for jury duty you get nothing .

That's what sick leaves and illness leaves are for , you get compensated for that , unlike the jury duty ..these are 2 totally different issues.

[rachel1496]

I agree that everyone's financial needs are different, if you are failing to provide a contingency plan for missed days, you're really only hurting yourself.

Well in my case we do have an emergency fund that would cover something like childcare if I were hospitalized tomorrow and we needed someone to care for the kids. If I'm blowing $100 a day on childcare for jury duty then we no longer have the money for a true emergency. If someone has medical conditions that require frequent time off I can see why they wouldn't be chomping at the bit to spend that money covering missed days for jury duty and possibly leaving themselves short for when they need to miss a day for an actual medical inability to work.

[saveadollardiva]

correct tjthemanto. I do not get paid for jury duty by my employeer. So that means I have to use my vacation days/sick days to cover those missed days and yes it can take up to 2-3 days before they even decided. But why should I have to do that?

In regards to my personal health, NO, I would not want to be apart of the jury because mentally/physically I would have a break down and would end up hurting myself in the process. Also, when someone does something out of character it is not because they have a disorder like I do. There are big differences! Some people just do stupid things out of rage.

Also, I don't need to watch that show to help with my money management, as my money is managed very well and by me working I will be able to keep it that way.

[saveadollardiva]

Also, people who are 65 and older are actually getting with the times and understand things have changed since their days as young people. Also this is why people are interviewed before picking a jury to see if they fit into the area both sides are looking for. I am sorry I am not going to have my health be effected. And no one is worth me risking my mental /physical health, not even the courts. Are they going to pay for my medication? Medical bills if I have to be hospitalized? What happens when I have an attack and I pass out? (which does happen) are they going to make sure I don't fall and hit my head? Sorry not worth it.

[saveadollardiva]

If your healthy enough to do it, by all means do it, but for me I am not.

Also, I am proud to be Canadian and our laws. But I am also a taxpayer were my money goes to all these law services. So I am already doing my part as a Canadian. Paying my taxes, and I have to go to work so the government can tax my pay and than tax me more money that I have to pay them when I do my income taxes for that year, which I pay. All this money the government gets from Canadians goes somewhere right? To all these services we use.

So ya I am doing my part already. Just because I am not there does not mean I have not done anything for the courts.

These are just my thoughts but to each their own.

[Safyre]

You get sick pay for that ..but for jury duty you get nothing .

That's what sick leaves and illness leaves are for , you get compensated for that , unlike the jury duty ..these are 2 totally different issues.

You may get sick pay, but not every employer offers sick pay. There is no law regarding sick pay in Ontario, only that you are permitted 10 emergency days so long as your employer has more then 50 workers. No responsibility for the employer to pay for those days.

With that said, these two issues are the same for many folks with regards to lack of money.

With regards to the length of jury duty, it does depend on the type of trial as to the length of trial and jury selection. If you are living financially so that you can never miss work, you are living dangerously. Plan for the worst case scenario. I believe a person with anxiety should understand worst case scenario thinking - prepare for it, don't be afraid of it.

For someone willing to have a Remember The Veterans in their siggy, I'd recommend remembering what the veterans fought for - your freedom, not your entitlement. They fought to ensure we had a just society, including the judicial system.

[momof5boys]

I've called to jury duty twice and both times the letter was lying on the counter when I came home from the hospital. The first time, I just came home from the hospital with a newborn with breathing issues and the second time was when I returned home from having a brain tumor removed. In both cases, I just had to send a doctor's note so that wasn't a problem.