jail time

sammyb

I was suppose to go to jury duty last Monday., but I haven't seen any papers that stated I needed to go. I saw my name in the local newspaper stating I NEED to call this number because I haven't shown up for jury duty. I am so scared that I am going to go to jail and I'm a nursing student that will lose everything if I go. What can I do????

Sterica

Moved.

Skeith

If you don't call, they'll come knocking eventually. If you didn't receive notice in the mail, then I highly doubt you're on the hook, but if you left the notice sitting in a PO box you might be in trouble.

Jam Warrior

Call the number NOW and explain the situation being up front and honest about everything. I strongly doubt they're after jailing you if it is an honest mistake. You'll need to do your duty at some point, possibly there'll be a fine to pay?

Hiding will solve nothing and only get you deeper in trouble (if you are even in any) while your imagination gets itself even more worked up than it is now. Call the number, get the facts, work it out from there.

s_86

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ASimPerson

Google the phone number first.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

you aren't going to go to jail; at worst you will be found in contempt and maaaaybe fined. More likely you'll just be told that you're a dumbass (in lawyerspeak) and given a new date to report for jury duty. If you continuously ignored summons a bench warrant would eventually be issued for you, but even then you'd just be arrested and hauled in front of a judge to explain why you'd been such a dumbass, then fined.

Don't call whatever number you found in the paper. Google your local state courthouse, go through their phone tree or whatever, and figure out whether you missed a summons and what you're supposed to do about it.

Assuran

IANAL, but I do work in the legal system dealing with subpeonas.

First, always go to jury duty, even if they end up sending you home it is better than simply not going. Judges don't really care for that.

Contact the court you were supposed to attend (call your local police station if nothing else, they should have the number) and explain that you thought you would receive follow up mail confirming your jury duty date and when you didn't receive the information, you assumed you didn't have to go.

Most probably, they will give you a second court date. At worse, the judge will summon you into court and yell at you for ignoring the jury duty mail, but you most likely won't get anything more than a fine (and that's only if they don't reassign you a court date with a warning if you no show that one, you're getting fined).

Seriously though, always call the court and check if you need to show up, just don't assume you don't need to go, sometimes they can only deliver the information by certified mail.

bowen

If it's the first time that this is happened, they usually ignore it.

AManFromEarth

If you're really worked up, just go down to the courthouse and explain yourself, they should set you up with a make up duty or just say "learn to calendar". I wouldn't call some random number in the paper.

My girlfriend got her jury duty dates wrong a couple years ago, did this, and everything was fine.

Sterica

I wouldn't call. Going to the courthouse in person both eliminates the risk of getting scammed and generally makes a better impression with the court.

Karrmer

I can't think of a single reason they would put your name in a newspaper for not showing up to jury duty, unless this is something really small towns do? I know at least in California generally if you just ignore it they never follow up, because it's an enormous waste of resources and they have no way to prove you ever received your notice of jury summons.

Seattle Thread

Did they put your full name, or just "Mr. Turdburglar?" Seems like this would be something that uses a common last name to try and get people to bite.

JebusUD

My friend ignored jury duty forms the sent him. Eventually the sheriff showed up at his house and took him to the courthouse to fill out the forms. No one went to jail though.

kaliyama

OP never received any notice at all, suggesting that he moved. Best to just call the courthouse. Update your voter registration.

Hevach

Where was this in the paper? People seem to be assuming this is a scam, but most papers have sections for this kind of stuff - usually the same place where they publish name change and death declarations. Those sections are usually verified - you can't just post anything in there without the matching documents.

Drez

Call the clerk's office at your assigned courthouse. Assuming the way it works in New York works the same way in CA, they are human beings that will work with you. They aren't bloodthirsty people looking to throw you in jail.

I had to postpone three times for an admittedly weak reason and they accommodated me. You fucked up a bit, perhaps, but it's not the end of your world and your best bet is to just get in contact with the courthouse and explain honestly.

I'm not a lawyer. But that's my opinion based on my experience. Mind you, I didn't miss my date, but I was way past my "10 days prior to ask for a postponement" deadline when I asked for one.

JohnnyCache

just go talk to them. Even in the very worst case, you probably aren't going to jail, and if you do, it won't be for long.

The longer you put off dealing with the system, the harder the system deals with you.

If you didn't get anything in the mail/delivered to your house, you are probably in the clear even if this is not a scam, just remain calm while talking to them. Trust me, there's no room to lock up everyone who misses jury duty. Just go talk to them before they issue a bench warrant (that's the thing that gets you hauled off to jail for a night if you get stopped for speeding and they can be a PITA)

Karrmer

San Diego, for example, won't even arrest you for a misdemeanor warrant. Say you get arrested for 23152 (DUI) and don't show up to court and they issue a warrant, and you're later stopped for speeding - you don't go to jail. No room in the jails in general, so they don't accept misdemeanor warrants (exceptions for a few specific drug warrants and domestic violence warrants.)

Generally speaking something like missing jury duty is extremely unlikely to ever result in a person being arrested, though I wouldn't be surprised if jurisdictions do so in some places. I'm curious if the OP ever got this sorted out?