Jury service

Status
Not open for further replies.
eggyg

eggyg

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 3c
Any insulin dependents done jury service and if so how did you manage?
I’m off to do my civic duty soon and on the initial form I had to fill in, one question went along the lines of “ do you have any disability and or special requirements” I replied no of course, but now I’m stating to worry about testing with my Libre 2 and possibly alarms going off! I know I can disarm the alarms but what if I go low? On the latest info they’ve sent me it says food isn’t allowed in the court room. I was hoping a few JBs in my bag would be fine but I don’t think we’re allowed even bags in. It’s occurred to me that this is the first time I’ve ever felt diabetes is a real nuisance and I’m at a loss. It’s also a noisy business. Even an BG metre clicks/whirs. I don’t want to be discriminated against whilst they pick the jury but nor do I want to be alarming/clicking/conking out! TBF I’ve never conked out and I don’t have many hypos. My plan at the moment is to run higher for the duration. I think I’ll also phone the court tomorrow and ask the question. I suppose they should know incase of emergencies. I really don’t know what to do. Any help anyone. For example do you get plenty of breaks? Thanks.
 
eggyg said:
Any insulin dependents done jury service and if so how did you manage?
I’m off to do my civic duty soon and on the initial form I had to fill in, one question went along the lines of “ do you have any disability and or special requirements” I replied no of course, but now I’m stating to worry about testing with my Libre 2 and possibly alarms going off! I know I can disarm the alarms but what if I go low? On the latest info they’ve sent me it says food isn’t allowed in the court room. I was hoping a few JBs in my bag would be fine but I don’t think we’re allowed even bags in. It’s occurred to me that this is the first time I’ve ever felt diabetes is a real nuisance and I’m at a loss. It’s also a noisy business. Even an BG metre clicks/whirs. I don’t want to be discriminated against whilst they pick the jury but nor do I want to be alarming/clicking/conking out! TBF I’ve never conked out and I don’t have many hypos. My plan at the moment is to run higher for the duration. I think I’ll also phone the court tomorrow and ask the question. I suppose they should know incase of emergencies. I really don’t know what to do. Any help anyone. For example do you get plenty of breaks? Thanks.
Click to expand...
I think you need to tell them your requirements before you get there, ie, to carry and use your Libre reader (it might get mistaken for a mobile phone, which are banned in court, at least for jurors) and to carry hypo treatments in the form of sweet food, and be able to treat a hypo at any time. I think they will either say, yes we can accommodate you, or no thank you and take you off the list.
 
There is a vey recent thread on the red forum which has various members' actual experiences.

Type 1.5 - Jury service

Hi all I’ve been summoned for jury service a week tomorrow and just wondered if anyone else had had this experience as a T1/LADA diabetic? I wonder how easy it will be to test when needed and treat hypos or dose for highs while sitting on the jury in court? Any advice welcomed! Thanks
www.diabetes.co.uk www.diabetes.co.uk
 
Ring up the court and ask them. Never done jury service myself. Was asked once, but the letter was sent to an old address and by the time I got it, it was well past the deadline which threatened all sorts of punishment if I did not turn up. In answer to my phone call, all I got was a "forget it" reply.

By the way, as far as I can make out real jury service is very different to what you see in television fiction. It's a bit of a shambles by the accounts I have heard, with lots of sitting around, total lack of any sort of information about what is going on and you might not even get to sit on a jury. I'm sure that like most things, some courts are better organised than others but it might be a good idea to take a long novel with you, just in case.
 
Thanks @Robin. I only use my reader as my phone isn’t compatible to the Libre. I’ve read the thread and it’s seems for the majority they are dismissed, surely that’s discrimination? All it said on the form you had to have mental capacity. I’m really torn as when I got the call to arms I wasn’t happy but that was more about my err em gastric problems, never gave the old D a thought. Now it’s getting nearer, 7th March, I’m just wishing I’d asked to be excused right from the start but I honestly thought they wouldn’t have given me the time of day if I said I might need the loo! I actually feel really frustrated with it all as I’m not used to being told I can’t do something.
@Docb Mr Eggy spent two whole weeks in the waiting room and a friend of mine was called up and was there 1.5 days before being dismissed. I’ll call in the morning and it’ll be what it’ll be.
Thanks both for your input.
 
Never been called - Pete has twice. First time he did a few coroners inquests, then discharged, second nothing then discharged after 3 days.
 
I used to be a magistrate, including service at Crown Court as an adviser to a judge in appeal cases, though on social matters rather than legal points. All that time, I was T1 and never had a problem. Just treat it as a normal day. Mind you, because the court was in the same building as the main police station, we had access to their canteen. And all day cooked breakfasts…😉
 
I would take some glucotabs in my pocket and secretly eat them if needed like you ate sweets in school on the sly. Dont think they would really do anything if you were caught anyway. Either eat them or deal with you and disrupt the court when you pass out. Still inform them of your diabetes though! Know loads of good people who would love to do jury service. Think its a broken system though. 30 years ago i was a bad lad and had just come out of prison. Well guess what i get a jury summons. My mum opened the letter and phoned them up to ask really? Mum never had a parking ticket and never recieved a summons for jury service think she was a little annoyed. Could've picked an upstanding member of the community but picked a low life scum like me. ( not a low life anymore by the way and that was my last prison sentence.)
 
Hepato-pancreato said:
I would take some glucotabs in my pocket and secretly eat them if needed like you ate sweets in school on the sly.
Click to expand...
I don’t think the concern is treating a hypo but knowing you need to treat your blood sugars to avoid one.
Many of us used Libre via our phone apps but mobile phones are not allowed whilst you are sitting in court.

This is not something I have ever considered but now manage both my insulin pump and Libre via my phone. There are options to use handsets (PDMs) but I need to start both with the PDM to allow this.
It would be useful to know if PDMs are allowed in court for this purpose.
 
Seek advice from the Chief Clark. He has the power to excempt you from service, if that is what you both agree to do. Otherwise he can advise the Judge that you may need to "take glucose by mouth" (normally not allowed), that your alarm might sound and what action the Jufge needs to take (if any) should it do so. He also needs to know that when you scan your sensor you are not using a phone.
 
leonS said:
Seek advice from the Chief Clark. He has the power to excempt you from service, if that is what you both agree to do. Otherwise he can advise the Judge that you may need to "take glucose by mouth" (normally not allowed), that your alarm might sound and what action the Jufge needs to take (if any) should it do so. He also needs to know that when you scan your sensor you are not using a phone.
Click to expand...
I don’t want to be exempted, I’m quite looking forward to it now after initially not been sure. I only use the Libre reader my phone isn’t compatible. I’ve done some Googling and it seems that must court sessions rarely go longer than 1.5 hours as they think juries start losing concentration after that! I will speak to the court clerk/usher just to inform them of my condition. I’ll also knock my alarms off. I have good hypo awareness and can cope a couple of hours without testing, like I did in the “ olden” days before we had all this technology.
 
I would still stongly advise you to contact the Chief Clark. A few words with him will avoid any trouble, I am sure that there wjll be no problem BUT...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top