An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to juries, jurors and jury service with corrections and improvements made under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act 1949.
The Juries Act 1974[1] (c. 23) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. According to its long title, the purpose of the act is "to consolidate certain enactments relating to juries, jurors and jury service with corrections and improvements made under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act 1949." Among others, the act states who is eligible for jury service in England and Wales, who is disqualified, and who may be excused.
Under the provisions of the act, any individual is qualified to serve as a juror or be called upon for jury duty in the Crown Court, High Court or county courts if:
they are registered as a parliamentary or local government elector,
they are between the ages of 18 and 75,
they have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for any period of at least five years since the age of 13, and
they are not otherwise ineligible or disqualified.[2]
Section 17 of the act re-enacts with modifications the provisions of section 13 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967,[3] allowing majority verdicts in England and Wales: in the Crown Court or High Court, one juror may dissent without resulting in a hung jury if the jury consists of at least ten persons, or two if there are at least eleven; and at least seven must agree in the County Court regardless of size.[4] Normally there are twelve, and the minimum size is eight.
Eligibility and excusal
A person is liable for jury service if that person:
is registered to vote in parliamentary or local elections
is aged between 18 and 75 inclusive
has been resident in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for a period of at least five years since the age of 13;
A person who has ever been given a prison sentence of at least five years, or an indefinite sentence
A person who has been convicted of one of several offences relating to their conduct as a juror or member of a court martial in the last ten years
A person who has been lawfully imprisoned, or subjected to a suspended prison sentence or one of various types of community order, in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man in the last ten years.[citation needed]
A person who has served on a jury, other than in a coroner's court, within the last two years is entitled to be excused. The court also has power to excuse any person who has good reason to be excused, in particular a serving member of the armed forces whose commanding officer certifies that it would be prejudicial to the efficiency of the service for them to be absent from duty. Service may be deferred rather than excused at the court's discretion.[citation needed]
Disqualification before 2004
Until the coming into force of Schedule 33 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 on 5 April 2004, the following were disqualified:
Full-time serving members of the naval, military or air forces
Members of the medical profession, e.g. registered and practising doctors, nurses, dentists or vets
Members of religious orders whose beliefs are incompatible with jury service
Those who have previously served on a jury within the past two years[5]
The act also states that personation of a juror may result in the trial in which the juror sat being voided; but other irregularities will not, unless the irregularity was objected to as soon as practicable.[6]
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