Jury Duty – Ensure That You Play Your Part!

A jury consists of a group of citizens who have been selected to listen to the details of court cases and, based on the evidence, determine the guilt or innocence of someone who has been accused of an offence. Jury duty is an integral part of society as it gives persons an opportunity to be active participants in the country’s system of justice.

The Selection Process

According to the Jury (Amendment) Act 2015, 5 (7-1), juries are made up of persons who are registered taxpayers on the voter registration list. In addition, these individuals must:

• be between the ages of 18 and 70
• be a citizen of the Commonwealth
• not be involved in any trial before the Resident Magistrate’s Court
• not be serving or have served a sentence of imprisonment of more than six months
• have a TRN number or national identification

Selected jurors are issued with summonses by the police 21 days before the beginning of the Circuit Court.

Neglecting Jury Duty

If summoned for jury duty and an individual does not report to the court or attends but refuses to be sworn in, he or she could be fined an amount not exceeding $10,000 or do community service. If community service is not done, then he or she may be fined $50,000 or imprisoned for one month. Jurors may be given permission to withdraw from serving, however, this is done at the judge’s discretion on a case-by-case basis.

Provisions for Employees

All eligible persons must be allowed by their employers to partake in jury duty. According to the Jury (Amendment) Act 2015, 12 (19-A), employees should give adequate notice and the reason for their absence. Therefore, as governed by the act, employers must not prevent their employees from engaging in jury duty, threaten them with dismissal or cause them to lose any revenue during the period.

All jurors receive a stipend for participating in court cases.

For additional information, contact:

The Court Administration Division

8th Floor, 25 Dominica Drive

Kingston

Tel: 876-754-8337/876-613-8800

Email: customerservice@cad.gov.jm

Website: https://cad.gov.jm

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jamjudiciary