What jury service involves

We’ve been advised that some members of the public are receiving suspicious emails in relation to Juror service. The emails ask customers to click a link to read and accept a Jury summons. The emails are being sent from a domain ending with the suffix .in. Please be advised that this email address is not a Ministry of Justice email address and Jury trial summons are sent via post. If you have received an email like this, please do not click on the link and mark the email as junk mail. If you have any questions about jury service, call 0800 COURTS (0800 268 787).

On this page:

Step 1: Getting your jury summons

When you get your jury summons in the mail:

  • read the information
  • make sure you can do jury service – find out who can’t do jury service
  • talk with your employer about getting the time off work
  • organise childcare with a childcare organisation, family member, friend or neighbour
  • send your response form back to the court.

Find out more about filling in your jury summons response form 

The court will pay you a fee for coming to jury service and help pay some of the costs of doing jury service.

Find out more about what you get paid

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Step 2: Jury selection

The second step is jury selection. This is when the jury is chosen from the group of people who have been summoned to the court for jury service.

Find out more about what to expect when you get to court 

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Step 3: The trial

If you’re selected as a juror, you and the other 11 jurors must listen to all the evidence given during the trial. Then you must look at the facts and decide whether the person accused of the crime is guilty or not guilty.

Find out more about what happens during the trial 

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Step 4: After the trial

After a trial, you can find out the defendant’s sentence. You can also get counselling if you need it. You shouldn’t talk to anyone about what happened in the jury room, even after the trial has ended.

Find out more about what happens after the trial

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