Pooey pooey bum bum bum... Yes that's how mature I am being this week.
In New Zealand we have to attend jury service, I'm not sure if it is the same thing in other countries, but pretty much you either need a really good excuse to say you're not available or get fined/arrested for not turning up.
For those of you who may be reading this and don't know what jury service is, it's where you have to attend court and be selected to be on a panel to listen to a particular case and decide if the accused person is guilty or not guilty.
A few months ago, back in Feb I got a letter in the mail saying I had been summoned. At that time I was back at work and, because I'm self employed and in a rather unique career, I asked to be excused.
I was excused, but then resummoned for the school holidays.. Which happens to be now.
This is the very first week of the very muchly looked forward to holidays.
So I turned up on Monday - yesterday, thinking this was only a one day thing. No, tomorrow will be the 3rd day that I have to go in! And I'm not even ON a jury panel!
Yesterday didn't seem to bad, you go in, wait to see if your name will be called along with about 30 other people, you then go up to a court room and they then pull out 12 names of people who will be the jury.
If for some reason you can't be on the trial, you can request to the judge to be excused, he/she will either decide whether you can or cannot.
The lawyers can also "challenge" you. Which means, if they don't think you will be right to argue their case, they will call out challenge and you won't be on that jury.
So yesterday I got called up to be on a panel, and was challenged straight away. I was rather released about that! So yesterday wasn't bad at all really.
But today! Oh my goodness, worst day ever. I got called up for what would be a 2 week trial!!
For 2 reasons, I felt I wanted to talk to the judge and explain that there was no way I could be on this panel.
Next week I am flying away to Blenheim and the second reason was that I really can't handle, listening to the subject of the case (I won't say it on here, but let's say it was rather distasteful and unpleasant) I expressed my concerns to the judge, wanting to be removed and he rejected my request. I was so overwhelmed at the thought of having to go through it, that I burst into tears then and there. It was so embarrassing and I couldn't stop myself! Thankfully a lawyer called challenge, so I was let off.
But that whole experience just ruined my whole entire day and week. I am really dreading having to go back tomorrow.
I really don't agree with this whole system. I think it's disgusting that they force people to take time off work to sit and listen to absolutely awful evidence. I am having to take time out of my holidays for the idiotic people of this world who can't live life properly and do things right. This is not the way a jury should be made and we should be able to have the discretion to say if we ourselves feel fit for it. I find the whole experience so distressing and disturbing I can't handle it and I really cannot wait for it all to be over. I am so dreading going in tomorrow. I'm really hoping and praying that the tell me to go home. :(
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