Jury Service during Covid

‘How was it going to work - me and a room full of 100 strangers?’

Jury service amid the pandemic

Liverpool Crown Court © Laura Wooding

Jury service is something I have never thought of, apart from when watching Law and Order, so when I was summoned back in December, it was most definitely the cherry on top of the weirdest and most strangely surprising year yet. I was certainly apprehensive because of the pandemic. How was it going to work - me and a room full of 100 strangers? But in some ways I think being called for jury service made me excited to get out of the house and actually talk to someone face to face, something we have not done in a long time. The courts have been modified to ensure public safety and honestly wearing a mask while sitting on a jury is not the worst idea I’ve ever heard. We were all allocated our own seats while in the jurors’ waiting room. Lucky for me I was seated in my own little glass room with four other jurors. We had to wait to be put on a jury team when there was a trial ready for us and this could take quite a while, so thank goodness for the court WIFI. You’re not guaranteed to be assigned to a trial, it could be much later on in the day or not at all. While that seems like a long and boring wait ,because there is only so much internet browsing and snacking you can do for a couple of hours, I found myself befriending the 74-year-old man who sat with me in my glass box. This is what made going out in a pandemic to be juror worth it, the interesting and long-awaited conversations with new people. So,

Liverpool Opinion

By Laura Wooding

after listening to a very interesting and well-travelled gentleman, I was finally called to a trial, thankfully along with my newly-made friend. The lifts. When you’re on jury service, these two words will be imprinted in your brain forever. You are called to get ready and ‘head to the lifts’ where you meet your court usher, who takes you up and leads you one by one into the courtroom, socially distanced of course, where you wait to be called out and given a number. Then you have to leave the courtroom, only to be called back a minute later in your number order. We are on desks that are separated by plastic shields, as it is impossible for 12 jurors to be two metres apart, we take our affirmation and proceed with the trial. The one thing I have learnt in this experience is that the courts have all the time in the world, they seem to take everything as slowly as possible, especially when questioning those in the dock. Being in the law courts can be a very dark and haunting experience, and probably not what you imagine, but it is quite fulfilling in a strange way. Only to be described as ‘You won’t know until you try’. Waiting for my first day I felt nerves I’ve never felt before, fear of the unknown, worried in case I did something wrong and ended up on the other side from the jury, but it is surprising just how used to it you get and then it’s a very rewarding experience and I’d be happy to do it again.