A Conversation for Serving on a Jury in England and Wales
Some minor corrections
Elentari Started conversation Dec 12, 2012
Great entry. But I did spot a couple of things which aren't quite right or may be differences of procedure between different courts (I work in the criminal justice system and attend Crown Court trials most weeks, and have done at 3 different Crown Courts).
1. hmcs is now hmcts - Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service
2. The jury-in-waiting is not always called into the courtroom. Sometimes they wait into the anteroom and each juror enters as their name is called.
3. The prosecutor does not always read the names and details of the case to ensure the jurors aren't connected; this is not always considered to be necessary. (In my experience it probably happens in less than half of cases)
4. "The judge can be either a High Court judge who wears red robes, or a county court judge sitting in the Crown Court who wears dark blue and purple robes with a red sash. A High Court judge is senior to a county court judge and tries the most serious cases."
The majority of trials are dealt with by Circuit Judges who wear black robes with a violet central section and a red sash. I've never seen a county court judge sitting in the Crown Court. Some cases are heard by Recorders, who are experienced lawyers who sit part time as judges. They wear normal black lawyers' gowns and wigs, not judges' gowns and wigs.
5. CPS - could link to A63782265, which in fairness was written after this entry.
6. However, cases are not always prosecuted by the CPS. For example, there may be trials in cases prosecuted by the local authority, or some other prosecuting agency. However, the CPS does prosecute the vast majority.
6. In all the courts I have been in, when returning their verdict the jurors all sit back in their usual seats. Must be a procedural difference.
Some minor corrections
Elentari Posted Dec 13, 2012
Cheers. It really is a very good entry. Very thorough.
Key: Complain about this post
Some minor corrections
More Conversations for Serving on a Jury in England and Wales
Write an Entry
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."