Jury Duty

Started by Cocobird, February 06, 2016, 04:35:33 AM

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Cocobird

I got a notice for Jury Duty last year. I lost it and emailed Jury Services to find out my account number.  At the same time, I requested to be disqualified because of my PTSD. I just can't imagine being able to do that and gave them several reasons.
Earlier this week, I got a notice telling me I did not show up and gave me a phone number to call. I couldn't get passed the IVR -- it didn't give me enough time to key in the information they were asking for.

Using my account number, I wrote to them again, sending them a copy of my original email and some of my symptoms. Today I got an email back, telling me they were rejecting my request, and to schedule a new date when I would be available.

Help! I just can't do it. It's kind of far, and I don't drive freeways. Just thinking about it triggers all kinds of emotions.

What can I do! Do you think having my therapist send them a letter would help?

Thanks!

Dutch Uncle

#1
We don't have Jury Duty here, so I can't be of much help.

Talking this over with your therapist sounds like an excellent idea.
And isn't so that lawyers get to pick the jury from the pool, like in the movies?  ;D
If so, tell the lawyers. Probably they don't want you on the jury either.
Possibly you don't want to go through that either, but it may be a last resort to get you 'off the case' at least.

:hug:

Kizzie

Asking your T sounds like a good plan, I'm sure s/he will know more about the process for being excused from jury duty.  Your physician would also be knowledgeable I would think.  You might also want to search "being excused from jury duty" in whatever state/province you reside in.  There's likely something that lays out the process.

I like vanilla

I have been on jury duty once years ago (more than a decade and before I knew about my CPTSD). It was pretty boring as we sat around in a big room waiting to go to the various trials to see if we would be chosen for each jury panel. I fortunately, was not picked for any of the panels.

More recently, I got a jury notice again. My first response was to be scared. For me, at least, I could take public transit easily to the courthouse. But the cases I was scheduled for were all criminal and I was worried about what type of evidence would be presented. I could envision myself having a dissociative episode and/or EF during a trial. UGH! My plan was to attend the jury call, but also to speak up if I felt that I needed to. I know when I was on jury duty the last time the bailiff at the courthouse right after the sign-ins were done asked if anyone has a reason to not sit on a jury and decisions were made at that time to excuse a person or not. The discussions were quiet so I do not know the reasons given but I do know that some people were excused at that time. I also remember that if your name gets pulled from the drum as a potential juror for a particular trial the judge also asks if there is any reason why you could not sit on the jury (e.g. one man was excused as the trial was set to last for 2 months and he would have lost his mom-and-pop business to be away that long). My thinking was that if a case looked like it would be particularly triggering for me then I would try to explain to the judge that that would be the case (and hope I had the courage to speak at all - the other part of my plan was to mention it in a quiet moment to a baliff to prime the pump in case I needed help). I was between therapists at the time but hoping my general practitioner would be willing to write a note if needed. If it had been more recently then yes I likely would have asked my new T for support, advice, and likely a note. I unfortunately cannot tell you how it all worked out as I was dismissed by mail before the report-in date for a reason unknown to me.

So, yes, it probably is a good idea to talk to your therapist. As Kizzie said he/she is likely to have a better idea for the specifics of being excused where you live. I also agree with Kizzie that it might be a good idea to do an internet search on the factors involved in being excused. Depending on which jurisdiction you are in and the ways that the rules work there, a 'no' from the people who sent you the call to report (or at least from the first people you spoke to there) is unlikely to be the final decision on whether or not you 'must' actually sit on a particular panel or even participate in all of jury duty (again depending on the rules where you live). I suspect that a 'no' from the people who send out the call letters is fairly standard except in very specific circumstances (e.g. a classmate of mine was excused as she was a full-time student and that fits one of the prescribed 'excusable categories' where I live). I would, however, be surprised if that 'no' actually was the final word.

I will add some reassurance too that just being called for jury duty does not necessarily mean that you will end up sitting on a jury panel at a trial. It is likely that other opportunities will arise for you to explain your circumstances even if the administrative people who send out the forms do not give you an excuse (e.g. talking to a bailiff onsite or perhaps to a judge in the court - a note from your T would likely be good for either of those options). Plus, even if you have to go to a court as a potential juror it is still unlikely you will end up on a panel. My understanding, at least where I live, is that they call well over 200 people (someone told me it's closer to 300 people) when they will ultimately need only 3-4 dozen for the upcoming trials. When I was on jury duty there were well over a hundred of us in the pool to start and they only needed 30 for jury panels. So even if the worst happens you have a good chance of not even making it out of the pool and onto an actual panel. You might just end up with a boring few days waiting around to not be called at all. Again, I am not familiar with your jurisdiction's rules and procedures but would bet that if you talk it over with your therapist he/she can give you some support in figuring it out (and he/she might already know the procedures) so that you might not have to go to the courthouse at all, and might still be dismissed even if you need to go there in person to do it.

Sending good thoughts that this all gets cleared up without you ever having to actually go to the courthouse  :hug:.

p.s. if you do end up going to the courthouse for jury duty it's a good idea to bring a book or other quiet activity. When I had jury duty it was mostly waiting around and more waiting around....