How UK jury selection works

Jury selection in the UK follows a fundamentally different process from the United States. There is no lengthy "voir dire" questioning, no peremptory challenges, and no adversarial back-and-forth between solicitors and jurors. Instead, the UK system emphasises random selection from the electoral roll, automatic balloting, and swift empanelment. This approach reflects a core principle of English justice: that an ordinary cross-section of the community, selected fairly at random, is best equipped to judge guilt or innocence.

This guide walks you through every stage, from the moment your name is pulled from the electoral roll to the moment you swear the oath in the jury box.

The short version

The UK jury selection process takes place over several weeks and months, beginning far from the courtroom. Your local jury central summoning bureau maintains a list of all registered voters in your area. From that list, jurors are selected at random by computer. You will receive a summons through the post. If you are eligible and have no grounds for excusal or deferral, you will attend court on the appointed day. Once at court, 15 potential jurors are randomly selected to sit in the jury box. The judge and barristers then question you briefly (or not at all for straightforward cases). If no objection is raised, 12 of the 15 are randomly balloted to form the jury. You are sworn in and the trial begins. The entire court selection process takes 15 to 45 minutes.

At a glance

How jurors are summoned

The foundation of UK jury selection is the electoral roll. Every local authority in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland maintains a register of all eligible voters within its area. Court administrators do not handpick jurors. Instead, the Jury Central Summoning Bureau, which operates for each Crown Court region, uses computer software to select names at random from the electoral roll. Names are drawn with equal probability, meaning a farmer in Devon and a solicitor in London have the same chance of selection.

Once your name is drawn, a summons is sent to your address by post, typically 8 to 12 weeks before the trial date. The summons explains your obligation to attend court, the date and time you are required, and the location. It also provides contact details for the summoning bureau and information about pay, travel expenses, and grounds for excusal or deferral.

This random selection is deliberate. The law assumes that no class or profession should be over- or under-represented in jury panels. In practice, both challenges from the Crown and defence ensure that no systematic bias enters through the back door, but the starting point is always fairness through randomness.

Eligibility

To be summoned for jury service in England and Wales, you must meet the following criteria:

• Age: You must be at least 18 but not yet 75 years old.
• Residency: You must have been a resident of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man for a continuous period of at least five years from the age of 13.
• Registration: Your name must be on the electoral roll.

These criteria are set out in the Juries Act 1974, as amended. Residency is assessed at the date the summons is issued, not the trial date. If you emigrated or moved away from the UK between summons and trial, you must notify the court immediately.

The requirement for five years' continuous residency is strict. Someone born and raised in the UK but who emigrated at age 20 and has only recently returned will not be eligible if they have been abroad for more than a few years. However, British citizens who work overseas on temporary assignment, diplomats, and others with temporary absences can still meet the test if their primary residence remained in the UK.

Citizenship is not explicitly required by the Juries Act, but you must satisfy the residency test. In practice, permanent residents and British citizens are the main pool from which jurors are drawn.

Disqualification

Even if you meet the eligibility criteria above, you may be disqualified by statute. Disqualification is automatic and permanent unless the conviction is overturned on appeal. The categories are:

• Conviction: You have been convicted on indictment of any offence and received a custodial sentence (of any length), or a suspended sentence.
• Pending conviction: You are currently charged with an indictable offence.
• Conditional discharge: You are subject to a conditional discharge (though this is sometimes thought to carry a five-year bar, the law is less clear).
• Bail: You are on bail in connection with a criminal case.
• Mental health detention: You are detained or subject to a compulsory order under the Mental Health Act 1983.
• Lack of mental capacity: You are incapable of serving due to mental disorder, as determined by a court.

Disqualification is not something the Crown or defence can challenge in court. It is a matter of law. The court administrator will verify disqualification before trial using criminal record checks and mental health registers.

Excusal and deferral

Although you may be eligible and not disqualified, you may have legitimate reasons why serving now is inappropriate. The court can grant excusal (permanent release from the current summons) or deferral (postponement to a future date).

Grounds for excusal or deferral include:

• Medical reasons: Serious illness, disability, or treatment that makes attendance impossible or inadvisable.
• Caring responsibilities: You are the sole carer for a child, an elderly parent, or a dependant with a disability, and no alternative care is available.
• Exceptional hardship: You work in a critical role (e.g. a surgeon mid-operation, a pilot with booked flights, a parent of a newborn), or attendance would cause disproportionate financial loss to yourself or your employer.
• Religious observance: The trial dates coincide with a significant religious festival or obligation.
• Prior commitment: You have a holiday, wedding, or other milestone booked before the summons was issued, and changing it is impractical.
• Language barrier: You have insufficient command of English to follow proceedings safely.

You must apply for excusal or deferral in writing or by phone within seven days of receiving the summons, and you must provide evidence (a medical certificate, a letter from your employer, proof of booking, etc.). The Jury Central Summoning Bureau will make a decision and inform you. Some applications are granted automatically; others are referred to the judge for a final ruling.

It is important to note that the court is not obliged to grant excusal. The modern presumption is that jury service is a civic duty, and many applications are refused if the grounds are weak. However, if the grounds are genuine and material, you have a real prospect of success.

On the day at court

You arrive at court at the time specified in your summons. You will check in at the usher's office. A large waiting area, often called the jury assembly room, will contain 30 to 100 other potential jurors (depending on how many trials are listed for that day). You may wait for a few hours.

Court staff will explain the process and your rights and responsibilities. You may be shown a short film about jury service. Then, when a trial is ready to begin, you will be called to the courtroom with a group of 15 other potential jurors (always 15, regardless of how many trials are running).

The first thing you will see is the jury box, which usually consists of two rows of benches or chairs on the side of the courtroom nearest the public gallery. The judge sits higher up, the barristers sit below the judge, and the defendant(s) sit with their legal team. Witnesses will sit in the witness box when they testify.

Selection in the courtroom: the ballot

Once the 15 of you are seated in the jury box, the court officer will draw 12 names at random from a ballot (or, in some courts, from a computer-generated list). The 12 names called are the jurors empowered to try the case. The remaining three are released and thanked for their time.

This random ballot is the essence of UK jury selection. There is no questioning of your views, no challenge to your impartiality (unless you volunteer bias), and no negotiation between barristers and the Crown. Whom you are randomly selected, so you serve.

This contrasts sharply with the US system, where both the prosecution and defence have the opportunity to question jurors at length ("voir dire") and to strike jurors without giving a reason (peremptory challenges).

Challenge for cause

In the UK, either the Crown or the defence can challenge a juror "for cause," but only if they can demonstrate a specific and articulable reason to believe that juror cannot be impartial. Examples include:

• The juror knows the defendant or a key witness.
• The juror has a direct financial interest in the outcome.
• The juror is a close relative of the defendant or a police officer involved in the case.
• The juror has been publicly reported in the media as expressing a strong opinion about the defendant or the alleged offence.

A challenge for cause is rare. The judge will hear brief submissions from the party raising the challenge and may ask the juror questions. If the judge is satisfied that bias exists, the juror is discharged. Otherwise, the challenge fails and the juror remains.

The test is strict: it is not enough to say "I think this juror might be biased" or "I have a hunch they will not be fair." There must be clear evidence of a real risk of bias. The defence cannot challenge a juror simply because they are a police officer, a retired judge, or a teacher. Such characteristics alone do not disqualify.

Stand by for the Crown

The Crown (the prosecution) has one additional power not available to the defence: the right to "stand by" a juror. This means the Crown can ask a juror to step aside, without giving a reason, and the juror will not sit on that trial (though they remain available for future trials). The Crown is technically unlimited in the number of stand-bys it can exercise, but in practice it is used sparingly.

The defence does not have a reciprocal right. However, the defence can exhaust all of the Crown's stand-bys by asking for a challenge for cause, and if the judge refuses, the defence can then ask the Crown to stand by that juror. This is rarely done.

The right to stand by exists to protect the Crown's interests where a potential juror is known to the prosecution to have strong anti-police views, or where intelligence suggests that a juror may be vulnerable to intimidation or bribery by associates of the defendant. However, the power is strictly controlled by practice direction, and it can only be used in the interests of justice.

Peremptory challenge: history and abolition

Until 1988, both the Crown and the defence had the right of peremptory challenge. This allowed each side to remove a set number of jurors without giving a reason. Defence had three peremptory challenges; the Crown had three as well (later increased to seven in certain cases). A barrister could simply say "I challenge" and the juror would stand down.

Peremptory challenges were abolished by the Criminal Justice Act 1988. Parliament concluded that they enabled both sides to engineer juries and to rely on stereotypes and hunches rather than evidence. The law of England and Wales now requires that any challenge be grounded in demonstrable bias, not intuition.

This reform is a cornerstone of modern UK jury selection. It means that the jury you get is far more likely to be a true cross-section of the community, not a hand-picked cohort. It also means that the trial is faster: no extended jury selection process, no back-and-forth between the bench and the bar, and no delay.

Swearing in

Once the 12 jurors are confirmed (either because no challenges have been made, or because all challenges have been resolved), the court officer will administer the oath. Each juror stands and, holding a copy of the religious text of their choice (Bible, Quran, Torah, etc.) or placing their hand on their heart, recites the following words:

"I swear by almighty God that I will faithfully try the accused and give a true verdict according to the evidence."

If you do not wish to swear on a religious text, you may make an affirmation:

"I do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will faithfully try the accused and give a true verdict according to the evidence."

Once you have been sworn in, you are a juror. You have the power to return a verdict. You are also now bound by the law of contempt of court. You cannot speak to anyone (except other jurors and the judge) about the case, you cannot conduct your own research or visit the scene of the crime, and you cannot tell anyone what happened in the jury room or how you voted.

Foreperson selection

After all 12 jurors have been sworn in, the judge will ask the jurors to select a foreperson from among themselves. The foreperson is simply the juror who will sit at the front of the jury box, speak on behalf of the jury when the verdict is ready, and manage the jury room during deliberations.

Foreperson selection is informal. The judge may ask for volunteers. If no one volunteers immediately, the judge might leave the jury room for a few minutes to allow the jurors to discuss among themselves. In some cases, the most senior or experienced juror (by profession or personality) naturally emerges as foreperson. In others, there is a show of hands.

The role of foreperson is not onerous. The foreperson does not get extra pay, and does not make the verdict unilaterally. However, the foreperson is responsible for keeping the jury on task, ensuring all jurors have a fair say, and representing the jury's decision to the court.

How UK differs from US jury selection

The contrast between UK and US jury selection is stark:

The UK approach prioritises speed and fairness. A defendant is tried by a random sample of the community. No barrister can engineer the jury, no stereotype shapes selection, and the trial begins without delay.

Day to day: a juror's hour-by-hour experience

Your first day as a juror will look something like this:

• 8:30 am: You arrive at court and check in. You are directed to the jury assembly room.
• 9:00 am: Court staff brief all potential jurors about the day ahead.
• 9:15 am to 10:45 am: You wait. Other trials may be in session. Some potential jurors may be called for other cases.
• 10:45 am: Your case is called. You and 14 others are escorted to the courtroom.
• 10:50 am: The judge explains the case in outline. The 12 jurors are selected by ballot.
• 11:00 am: Any challenges are dealt with (usually none).
• 11:15 am: The oath or affirmation is administered.
• 11:20 am: The foreperson is selected.
• 11:25 am: The prosecutor opens the case (10 to 20 minutes).
• 11:45 am to 1:00 pm: Evidence begins. The first witness is called.
• 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm: Lunch break.
• 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm: Evidence continues. More witnesses.
• 4:30 pm: Court adjourns for the day.

This schedule will repeat for as many days as the trial lasts. Trials of summary matters (theft, assault) may take one or two days. Complex fraud or murder trials may take weeks. You will be given a juror's handbook with directions for behaviour during the trial, notes on the law you must apply, and guidance on your responsibilities.

You will not be asked to work late into the evening or over weekends, as a rule. The court respects the fact that you have given up your time.

Common misconceptions

"I can refuse jury service if I don't want to go." Not quite. You must attend unless you have genuine grounds for excusal or deferral. Ignoring a summons is contempt of court and can result in a fine or jail time. However, if the burden is real and exceptional, you can apply for excusal.

"The judge or barristers will ask me lots of questions about my background." Not in the UK. Unlike the US, there is no voir dire. The judge may ask one or two questions if a challenge for cause is raised, but otherwise you will not be questioned. You will swear the oath and begin listening to evidence.

"I can be removed if I know the defendant." Yes, but only if you volunteer that information or if a challenge for cause is successful. The system assumes you are impartial unless bias is proven.

"A jury is always 12 people." In criminal trials, yes. (In civil trials, it is sometimes 8 or 10.) If a juror falls ill mid-trial, the judge has discretion to proceed with 11, but this is rare.

"I will be sequestered in a hotel during the trial." Not in most UK trials. Sequestration is extremely rare and reserved for cases of high public interest (e.g. a famous murder trial). You will return home each evening.

"A juror can ask questions." In some modern trials, jurors are permitted to submit written questions to the judge, who may put them to a witness. But jurors do not cross-examine witnesses. That is the job of barristers.

"The jury must reach a unanimous verdict." In most cases, yes. However, the judge has discretion to accept a majority verdict (10 to 2 or 11 to 1) if the jury has deliberated for at least two hours without reaching unanimity, or longer in complex cases.

Related concepts

• How criminal trials work in the UK
• The role of the judge in a criminal trial
• What a jury must decide: burden and standard of proof
• Jury instructions: understanding the judge's directions
• Contempt of court: what jurors must not do
• How the prosecution and defence prepare for trial
• Your rights and duties as a juror
• Appeal after a jury verdict
• Jury secrecy and what happens in the jury room
• The history of jury trial in England

Sources

• UK Government: Jury Service. https://www.gov.uk/jury-service (accessed 2026-05-28)
• UK Legislation: Juries Act 1974, as amended. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/23 (accessed 2026-05-28)
• Judiciary of England and Wales: Jury Service Information. https://www.judiciary.uk (accessed 2026-05-28)
• Criminal Procedure Rules 2020 (as amended): Jury proceedings.
• Blackstone's Criminal Practice 2026: Jury selection and trial procedure.

Written by Peter Kolomiets, founder of CaseCalm. UK content reviewed 2026-05-28.

Disclaimer: This page provides information about how UK jury selection works. It is not legal advice, and does not replace advice from a qualified solicitor or barrister. If you have been summoned for jury service or are facing trial, contact a legal professional in your jurisdiction.