Jury Service Sucks!!!!!!!!!!:mad:
I'm well into my first stiff drink and tenth tissue and there will be at least one more very stiff drink had this evening...
I don't think I should say much else, other than it sucks BIGTIME!!!!!!
RR
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Jury Service Sucks!!!!!!!!!!:mad:
I'm well into my first stiff drink and tenth tissue and there will be at least one more very stiff drink had this evening...
I don't think I should say much else, other than it sucks BIGTIME!!!!!!
RR
Well...tell us more and you might get let off early ;)
Had an exciting day did we? Learning new things about humanity in general? All good stuff.
Do they let you go home for the night?
Poor ruffly, have a stiff drink for me. then another for you, then another for me, keep going until you run out of tissues.
Ah yes, the small price we pay for living in a democracy, it could be a lot worse.;)Quote:
Originally Posted by rufflyrustic
Now if we could only get a say in the sentencing.
Clinton, I love your sense of humour :D thanks - I needed that.
Outback - hic!!! Here's to us all https://www.ubeaut.biz/beersmiley.gif https://www.ubeaut.biz/dizzy.gif https://www.ubeaut.biz/zonked.gif hopefully I won't https://www.ubeaut.biz/throwup.gif
Termite - too true :rolleyes:
Got empanelled Tuesday, first day yesterday, only needed one stiff drink. Today was second day, needed very stiff drinks. Tomorrow we retire, may or may not be back on tomorrow night Must remember to pack vodka into bag just in case....... (crap will there by any left for tomorrow?????:eek: ) hey, when'd my sense of humour come back??? must be time for the second drink.
Cheers before I can't type anymore
RR
I was called for dury duty last year.
Sat around in a big room with a lot of fellow citizens. Went to a court, wasn't empanelled (hell I wasn't even called) went back down to the big room for a couple of hours then they said :
"We don't need you today. You can go home. Oh and btw you've got more chance of winning the lottery than being called again in the next 12 months"
Well I was all ready to do my civic duty but I was very glad I didn't have to.
Sounds like you got stuck with a bad one Wendy. Very sorry to hear it. :(
Craig
Heya Wendy, do the best you can, be objective, then walk away.
Don't take it home with you, if you give it the best shot you can then that's all we ask of our jurors - no one is trained for the job.
Have a V&O for me too - happy headaches!
Groggy
Just so you know...
I NEVER have to do jury duty. :D :p :D :p
Dan
PS. Just remember, they're all GUILTY.
i did jury duty, sent the bastard to the big house for 5 yrs (only) that'll teach him to knife people... hopefully he'll have the favour returned by another outstanding citizen.
be happy - you get to see the system work!
Too late for my advice but my two rules ,don't get elected foreman/person as they have to sit in the front row and always sit in the back row cause you can lean your head back against the wall and be a bit more comfortable. :cool:
Otherwise follow Groggy's advice and leave it there when you finish
Rgds
I've had to show up for jury duty a couple of times, but I've found wearing black jeans and a Metallica T-shirt has allways got me excused :rolleyes:
So much for a jury of your peers...
just so long as its a jury of the right sort of peers, old chap!
geez, what have I done!!!:eek:
Yep, I'm the foreman.
Haven't moved to the front, yet. chairs are bolted to the floor so can't lean head back:rolleyes:
Can't leave it there, no chance to debrief, I think this is what is the hardest i.e. can't talk it over and the others are in the same boat as me. I ........... and can't say any more, so there we go again.
The two stiff drinks haven't touched the sides. normally I'd be legless by now but feel like I could operate a power tool quite well at present (not that I would). must be due for another drink.:rolleyes:
cheers - literally
Wendy
Wendy
Jury service is tough stuff if you get the bad cases. It's been a long time since I was called to do my bit. It gave me an insight into the kind of ugliness that DanP and his mates have to deal with all the time.
Tough it out. Do your citizen's duty and then try and forget about it. Don't take it home.
If it helps, I can tell you that you will slowly come to think about it far less frequently than you might right now imagine. You don't forget it. Not, that is, if you are at all intelligent and have a conscience - and I'm sure you qualify on both counts.
If it isn't obvious from the above, I sympathise. Keep your chin up!
All the best
Col
Oh - and another thing: thank your lucky stars that you're in the jury box - not the dock!
Duty, Ruffy, duty.
Just don't take it home with you. Be honest, do your best. It's part of the fabric of our society, without which we could be like Iran or some other unspeakable szithole.
Be strong.
Nah, you'd only feel even worse in the jury tomorrow.Quote:
Originally Posted by rufflyrustic
Hang in there girl, you are doing a good thing.
"I dont think I can be objective your Honour". Best excuse and works every time.
But I think its absolutely necessary that we (but not me or Dan) respect the system we have. It can be a pain and lengthy but well worth it.
Sympathy Ruffly. Was on one for 5 weeks a few years ago. Even though, by the end of the trial, we had all reached the same decision, we went over it in detail to be sure as we could be that we had it right. I still think about it occasionally, but I don't lose sleep because I know that we did the best we could. Take others' advice, do the best you can and leave it behind when the trial's over.
The missus was an interpreter for a pretty unspeakable case once... if the case you are in is ugly then yep, it'll stay with you, but it will fade.
Not 100% nice I know, but I guess thats the price we pay for taking responsibility for our society.
Bit like a scary rollercoaster when you are a kid, you can't get off the ride, but once you are back to normal life then the ugliness becomes more and more remote.
Life's a trip, hey.... who needs drugs?
Afte 10 beer at the risso', Wendy behave and do your best.
We will still be here for you!:)
Ps a few of my mates are in DanP's profession . . . makesa for interesting berry sessions!:)
Like DanP I do not qualify for jury duty, but having spent some 70% of my public service life in court I think I have done my bit, generally in the form of expert advice for the prosecution.
There are still some heavy ones that wake me up with a jolt at night, usually involving children.
I take my hat off to DanP and Iain who have spent so much time in those sterile and slow moving places.
I have been in court on four occasions for speeding - Magistrates Court, witness to hit run - Magistrates Court, jury - County Court and chararacter witness - County Court.
Jury duty was the most boring but then I felt a little bit more in control of my destiny rather than trying to act and speak in the best way to reduce a penalty or gaol term to someone who sees people greasing up to them each and every day.
Results $200 and three days suspension of licence:o , hit run driver found guilty:p , gaoled the accused:p , and the accused fraudster got a suspended sentence (pity because he was murdered shortly after:( ).
My sympathy Wendy
When I lived further out west than you I also got caught for the foremans job
We did the right thing and convicted the person for murder but basically they ended up witha slapped wristhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...cons/icon8.gif
A total waste of a weeks jury service and loss of normal work
Stay in there
Cheers Sam
Can you all stop talking about me... I'm getting a complex. :eek:
Dan
Thanks for the reddie Shedhand. If you couldn't figure out I was joking when I said they're all guilty, then you obviously have no sense of humour. :mad:
Dan
Dan, it must be great to have a job where the customers always wrong:DQuote:
Originally Posted by DanP
Antidote has been sent.;)Quote:
Originally Posted by DanP
I don't call the crooks customers. The customers are the victims.Quote:
Originally Posted by echnidna
I was going ot make comment on how we get crooks to court (not - "in the van") but I'll leave it till RR is no longer empannelled. I wouldn't want to taint her judgement :rolleyes:
Dan
You know, the jury service thing wouldn't have been so bad by itself, but considering everything else extraordinary that I've had to deal with over the last 6 months both workwise and personally, I think I'm surviving fairly well, but I think it's fair to say sorry, enough, stop the world I want to get off for a while :o
Thanks Dan:) - perfect timing by the way, we deliberated for 6 hours and now that it's been on the local 6pm news, we had to consider 6 charges, the worst being attempted murder - not guilty.
Intense, Very intense and stressful, my head is still thumping.
Sorry Pat - I didn't behave and am not going to behave tonight either ;) (I think I have just enough V&O left)
Dan - I got the joke you made in your first post:) - funny how HWMNBO had made exactly the same joke not an hour before. After this one instance, it's enough to show me that it's very fair that police are not called to be on juries.
The bad news - I still have to go back next week to be empanelled for antoher jury. Juror support counselling is looking good.
The good news - this case is over.
Guys - thanks for the support and the stories. It all helps.
Wendy
Well Done Wendy,
At times it doesnt seem fair to the ones it happens to that they have to make the hard calls on behalf of the rest of our society. but if any of usa ever find ourselves on the other side of the fence either rightly or wrongly, its good to know that people like you (and your fellow forumites who have gone through the same experience) take their responsibilities seriously. (not to mention danp ands boban and other people who have an involement in the legal process)
Its a complicated process and i dont envy any one of you in this process but its a dirty thankless job that someone has to do, and you dont even get a greenie for ithttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ons/icon10.gifhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ons/icon10.gifhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ons/icon10.gif, in real life that is, in here i might pass a couple round to ease teh pain
Wendy.
Start thinking about your next project.
May be a B/S box ?
Geez PTC
that's a bit eery
My girlfriend was thinking about me this morning and I then rang her. Then I was thinking about making b.s.b in the shape of a heart for her and then I read that you were posting this at the same time ... :eek: :)
Am still very shaky, but it's nearly sawdust time, that will help a lot.
Dan, I'm very interested in hearing how you get them to court, but not just yet.
Thanks
Wendy
In the van. :D
Dan
Dan uses the yellow pages.
Al :p
DanP & Iain,
don't be too sure about the callup business. I retired somewhere around 93/4 and the twits have regularly tried to call me up. I think that they may have changed the rules so that you can be called up after leaving the services for 10 years. I also used to be outside the distance; but they have also widened the dragnet.
Shedhand, maybe you should check out just how hard it is to present a guilty person for trial; let alone an innocent person. One minor point of evidence missing and no trial. You would maybe like to really find out the truth about a crime then spend some time at the trial listening to the defen.... or is that the amateur and professional story tellers. I will leave it there so I don't get into trouble.
There are a couple of old sayings.... Never let the truth get in the way of a good story and.. Pentridge is full of innocent people; you just ask them and they will tell you they are innocent.
Gee it's nice to get a new puter that works.
Toggy
It is now, very trendy too I believe:pQuote:
Originally Posted by Toggy
Toggy ,Quote:
Originally Posted by Toggy
The current rules, as per my last jury call up papers, says that you are ineligible to serve as a juror if you are or, in the last ten years, have been a member of the police force, etc, etc.
Hence every one in previously exempted employment, once they have been retired for 10 years, are eligible for call up. But no doubt you would be challenged because of your previous occupation.
Peter.
This is where I was going, however, I'll elaborate further.Quote:
Originally Posted by Toggy
1. Copper catches crook. Whether that is from his own observation or from eyewitness accounts.
2. Copper processes crook. This is the interview and if there is enough evidence, charge and bail. Or if there is the slightest doubt, the crook has offered a legal defence, alibi etc. then you release them pending a summons.
3. Do the brief. This includes statements from all relevant witnesses, including some that are not so relevant. Usually ends up being equivalent to the size of war and peace, even for minor matters.
4. Submit the brief to a sub officer for checking and authorisation. The sub officer checks the brief for evidence and that there is sufficient proof to prove the charge in court. Keeping in mind that if the matter goes to court with insufficient evidence, the informant may have costs awarded against the department and sometimes, himself. Therefore, even those who have plenty of evidence sometimes don't get authorised.
5. If the sgt thinks there is more to do, he sends the brief back and you have to do some more work. Then it is re-submitted and checked again. The brief can sometimes come back to the member two or three times in complicated matters.
6. Once the brief is authorised, in the case of a bail brief, it gets sent to the prosecutors. In the case of a summons matter, back to the informant to issue process. The informant chooses a court date, gets the summons signed by a court registrar, then has to serve the papers on the crook.
The point is, there is a rigorous checking process and at my level, there is no brief that gets past the sgt where there is not AMPLE evidence to prove the matter. Therefore, even though it was said tongue in cheek, it is true, they are all guilty.
This however may not be the case at the crime squads. They seem to operate more on the basis of the likelihood of a conviction. If it is likely, they will proceed to court. The difference being that they deal with a whole different level of crime and it sometimes is not in the interest of the community for the police to make the decision whether the crook goes to court or not. That's what the jury is for. (enter RR)
I hope that this gives the doubters some idea of what happens in getting a crook to court. No one gets to court where there is doubt.
Dan
Sat on a jury once trying a bloke who had knocked off a car and robbed a building society. After hearing the police officers give evidence we had no doubt he was guilty, but the prosecuting lawyer overdid it with other witnesses and by the time he'd finished we were almost convinced he was innocent (or at least, not satisfied he was guilty). Then the accused's lawyer did such a botch of a job we were convinced again that he was guilty. At the death knock, he pleaded guilty and saved us the trouble.
At least I know two lawyers I'll avoid if ever I run foul of the law.
Dan, thank you for this, from the bottom of my heart.
RR