I've talked about this subject before and know that some here have actually had jury duty.
We do not have that system here -thank goodness!- although it's under constant debate whether or not it should be implemented. I'm not pro-jury system.

Now what I'd like to know... does it really go like this, like what I saw in a series the other day:
jury coming together first time, a number of them asking "shall we vote him guilty?" This was before trial had even started so it wasn't based on anything other than them wanting to be done with jury duty.
"I have a job and I cannot be away for long. I'll lose my job." and similar arguments.
Basically having no problem with sending someone to jail, not even giving him/her a fair trial just because they're selfish and want it over with.

I must say over here people wouldn't lose their jobs as you cannot get the sack just like that. An employer needs a very good reason to fire someone and unless you've committed a serious offense it's almost impossible. Employees are protected very well over here.
But I do get you get less pay during jury duty?
Personally I think it's insane that you can get fired for doing your duty by serving on a jury.

In any case, what I'd like to know... does it really happen that a jury just wants/tries to reach a verdict among themselves before trial has even begun just so they can go home sooner?

I’ve been a juror twice. The first case was a murder trial and the second was a double rape trial….both held in the High Court.

It’s absolutely not true that the jurors make a decision whether the perpetrator(s) are guilty or not before the trial. To be honest, it wouldn’t happen as after the you’ve listened to all the witnesses, testimonies etc. the judge then guides you as to how you should vote and in some cases, steers you in the direction of the right vote (depending on the individual cases). In the double rape trial there was insufficient evidence to prove that the perp did indeed rape the ladies so the judge worded his closing speech to the jurors as to what he would think the outcome should be. So, the jurors can’t make a decision as to guilt or not guilty until all evidence is heard.

As to your question about could you be sacked for attending jury service, the answer is no. At least, not here in the UK. At the first trial I wasn’t working as I was a stay at home mum so I claimed for my travel expenses and childminding fees. I was working when on the second trial. The company I worked for said they would still give me my full pay even though I told them that I would be claiming my expenses from the government. I was lucky as I was paid twice for doing my duty haha.

Surprisingly, the majority of people take jury duty very seriously, from everything I've read. However, there are certainly some who lie during the jury selection phase and make it on the jury with a preconceived notion of guilt or innocence.

That said, a judge may overrule a jury's guilty verdict if it is found that there was insufficient evidence to support the conviction.

And no, you can't legally be terminated for having jury duty, at least not in the U.S. That's a wrongful termination suit waiting to happen.

I hate to say it but that is exactly what happened
at my last jury trial, some of the jurors started
playing grab-*** the moment we were behind
doors..there were 2 counts, burglary and assault
(neither of which happened) so one old lady says,
let's just vote one guilty and one not guilty
and we can go home, at which point everyone
began whining about being home by lunchtime.

I was so disgusted.
The next summons for jury (I got one every 2 years,
sheesh) when I told what happened at the last one
I got excused, note to self ;-)

As far as Jury Duty you can't legally be terminated due to you have jury duty, at least not in the U.S.

If an Employer was to fire someone on that term they would be sued...

The one time I served on Jury Duty was for a landlord evicting a tenant.

There was roof damage that the landlord was trying to sue them for as well as back rent. And wanted money for having a clogged toilet fixed, as well as damages from a leak under the kitchen sink..

At first several was saying charge them for all to the tenant and make them move out..

But the tenant also had a bill for tree being trimmed and hauled off that was by the house.. which the landlord is responsible for.

Well I'm not one to be quiet so I brought up that the damage to the roof was the Landlords fault for the roofing company even stated the damage to the shingles was due to a tree branches rubbing against the shingles for way to long.. The issue with the water damage under the sink.. Again the landlord admitted he had noticed the leak due to a bucket under the sink yet did nothing.. Now the toilet issue yea I voted that bill to go to the tenant as well as back rent since they refuse to move... But the Bill for the tree removal and the sink was deducted from what the landlord wanted..

After I brought that all up, the rest seem to agree.. Honestly I was not backing down on what I thought was fair..

But yes a Judge will lay out what needs to be considered and will listen to any arguments the Jury have or questions if they need more info.

They will explain in order for a Guilty Verdict it must be without a shadow of a doubt.. If just one on the jury votes not guilty and the rest say guilty if they can not come to terms it will end up with a hung jury...

But as far as pay in the States you only get like $15 a day.. Most Employers will pay you full salary while you are called for Jury Duty.. I know they do where I work we just have to bring in the paperwork showing we have Jurty Duty..

Not saying what you say can't happen for sure it does at times..

I was on jury duty for a full two weeks, drug smuggling.. Here in Canada , it's your civic duty to report for Jury Selection ... If Selected you are put on a Jury ... if not you go back to work .... with full pay ....if you get onto a jury , the Courts pay your mileage and the Company you work for pay your wages ... like normal and regular ..
Off course not all private companies have this policy .... some only grant you a leave of absence , for as long as the case is under trial ...
never heard of anyone getting fired for doing their civic duty !!!

Years ago my sister in law forgot about her jury duty. Well a few days later as she was cooking dinner the police came a knocking, they actually loaded her up in their cruiser and took her uptown to the jail for processing. She was charged with contempt for not showing up for jury duty. She was never handcuffed and was able to sign a statement that she would show for magistrates court… Here in the U.S. your jury duty summons states that it is in violation of the law to ignore the summons.. apparently they mean it.

Only time I served on jury duty they called me in for a trial but they reached a plea bargain before trial so i did get like $35 for time and travel from the court, most of the time a plea is come to before going to trial as it gets very expensive to fight for both sides. Many people do come up with excuses not to serve, sometimes they will even keep jurors from going home during big trials because they don't want them getting outside information or talking to outsiders about what is going on.

How does one land a jury duty? We don't have jury system in Malaysia, and I'm always curious as to how it works and all that stuff you see on TV and movies.

In Oregon, when you get a jury summons, they select from that same pool for the Grand Jury, and they usually select the first arrivals as no one wants to be tied up in a Grand Jury which lasts longer and is not over after one trial as is the regular Jury.

In my opinion jury duty is a waste of time and the pay is crap. I get payed better at my job. To me it should be between the lawyers and a judge.

I’ve served on both types of juries. Oregon pulls the participants from the DMV files and I think possibly voter registration as well.

Grand Jury lasts a month, meeting one day a week, you only hear the prosecution’s side, with a few witnesses. The GJ determines if the prosecution has enough to actually go to trial. Or if they need to keep investigating to build their case, or it’s a waster of the court’s time and taxpayer money.

In my county, it was about 3 hours each meeting, not very many cases, mostly alcohol infused misbehavior. It was something we all took seriously. And we did discuss each case on the merits, then voted on whether the case should proceed or not.

Thank you for all your reactions.
And great info on the grand jury. I never really knew what that was about!

So it doesn't have to happen that a jury doesn't give a toss, but it does and can happen.
And in a way logical as it's one thing to say you're proud to do your duty and serve your country, but there's still the practical side to things: your personal life.

QUESTION:
What if you for instance are the caretaker of an elderly parent?
Are there reason that excuse you from jury duty?

I heard the easiest way to get out of jury duty is look the accused in the eye , and utter " you so guiltily buddy , you going down " !!!!!

Lol… yes that is one way for sure but you might be facing a contempt charge for those comments. You can be excused for hardship circumstances like health reasons or work requirements. Jury duty summonses are mailed out several months before your time to serve . It’s been twenty years since my last summons . I think these summons are randomly selected by computer. Some folks may get one every 10 years and some folks may never get one.

Matter of fact I received a summons last year again. Yes you can go online and they have a list of reasons why you can not serve one of them is if you are a full time Caregiver..

Due to the fact I get paid for being a Caregiver with my part time job, they would not let me take that choice.. But if you are a Full time Caregiver for a family member you can in fact get out of serving for Jury Duty.. One of my friends is a caregiver for her Grandfather and was able to get exempt from going this last year..

But with me I was able to take the option to put it off for later in the year which I was able to pick a month I picked December due to I was told there is not many cases in that month so I would most likely just be skipped due to the month I picked..

This was last year and I was not contacted back again..as of yet..

But yes as some say if you do not respond or do not show up they can come after you.. But it is not something they always do..

I've always enjoyed jury duty,
and have actually volunteered for it on
several occasions.

Yep....

During jury selection, give them answers the prosecutor or defense lawyers don't wanna hear