Jury Service (England and Wales)

Jury service in England and Wales is governed by the Juries Act 1974, which deals with matters such as eligibility, summoning, excusal and deferral, financial compensation, and juror offences.

Supporting information is available on gov.uk.

Who is eligible for jury service?

A person is eligible for jury service if:

• they are aged 18 or over but under 76
• they are registered as a parliamentary or local government elector
• they have been ordinarily resident in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for any period of at least five years since they were 13 years old
• they are not “disqualified”

A person is disqualified if they fall within schedule 1 of the Juries Act 1974:

• part 1 of schedule 1 covers certain people who are subject to the Mental Health Act 1983 or Mental Capacity Act 2005
• part 2 covers people who are currently on bail in criminal proceedings, who have received a specified sentence for a criminal offence, or who have been convicted (in the last 10 years) of offences relating to juror misconduct

The Jury Central Summoning Bureau uses the electoral voting registers to randomly select people for jury service. This means some people may be summoned multiple times, while others are never called.

Can reasonable adjustments be made for jurors with a disability or health condition?

Disabled jurors or jurors with a physical or mental health condition can request reasonable adjustments and other help when replying to their jury summons. Gov.uk notes that such adjustments could include:

• ramps
• access to accessible toilets
• a hearing loop
• guidance in alternative formats, such as large print, audio or braille
• a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter

Jurors can discuss their needs or arrange a visit to the court by contacting the Jury Central Summoning Bureau (if there is at least one week until their jury service begins) or by contacting the court directly (if their jury service is due to begin in less than a week). Jurors who are already at court should speak to the jury officer.

What are the rules on deferring or being excused from jury service?

The expectation is that everyone who has been summoned for jury service will serve at the time for which they are summoned. It is an offence (punishable with a fine of up to £1,000) for a person to fail to comply with a jury summons, unless they can show “reasonable cause” for their failure to comply.

If a person receives a jury summons but is unable to attend on the specified date, they can apply to defer or be excused from jury service.

The initial application for deferral or excusal is made by replying to the jury summons. Summoning officers will follow guidance issued by the Lord Chancellor when determining an application.

If the application is refused, this can be appealed by writing to the Jury Central Summoning Bureau.

What is the difference between deferral and excusal?

Deferral, which should usually be considered before excusal, involves postponing jury service to an alternative date within the next 12 months. Deferral might be suitable where, for example, the summoned person has a holiday, exam or operation that clashes with the original jury service date.

Excusal involves being excused from the summons altogether. It is only available in exceptional circumstances. Excusal might be appropriate where, for example, the person has full-time caring responsibility for a disabled or seriously ill person, is living overseas, or has an insufficient grasp of the English language. Anyone who has performed jury service in the last two years can also apply for excusal (and this should be automatically granted).  

Can jurors claim financial compensation?

Jury service is unpaid but compensation is available for food and travel expenses, care/childcare costs and loss of earnings (subject to caps and fixed rates in some circumstances).

Gov.uk provides further information on compensation for jurors who are employed, self-employed or not working. An expense calculator is also available, which individuals can use to generate an estimate of what they can claim.

Claims for compensation must be made no more than 12 months after the start of jury service, using forms provided by the court (for food, drink or travel) or available online (for loss of earnings or care/childcare).

Employers must allow employees to have time off if they are summoned for jury service. It is for employers to decide whether to continue paying their staff while they are performing jury service. Guidance for employers is available on gov.uk.