Inquests. Is there a list published, and how are juries selected?

Spanish Eyes

Just wondered if anyone knows.

I checked the Courts website, the coroner's info and so on. Cannot find much.

Just wanted to know if -

1. A list of impending inquests is published anywhere (it's a public court afaik)

2. How are juries selected for the Coroner's Court.

Thanks if anyone knows.

Ken.

http://www.coroners.ie/en/CS/Pages/Overview

Have a read through this, should help you out.

Especially this page. http://www.coroners.ie/en/CS/Pages/Inquests

Little CuChulainn

I'm not aware of any publicised list for the coroners court.

The Garda arranges the jury when required.

Spanish Eyes

ken wrote: »

http://www.coroners.ie/en/CS/Pages/Overview

Have a read through this, should help you out.

Especially this page. http://www.coroners.ie/en/CS/Pages/Inquests

I appreciate you linking that, but I have already seen it.

It doesn't answer my question though. There is no list and I don't know how juries are selected.

Spanish Eyes

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

I'm not aware of any publicised list for the coroners court.

The Garda arranges the jury when required.

Given that the Inquest/Coroner's Court is a public thing, I would have thought, like on the Court Service website there would be a list of inquests pending. Seems not.

Wonder about the Garda arranging juries also. Is that because they know the jurors or how transparent is it?

I do realise that such cases can be very sensitive, but surely if the Coroner's Court is open to the public it would be a bit more publicised.

Anyway, not meaning to cause any controversy. I understand the sensitivity.

It is the selection of the jury that I am mostly interested in, when it is required.

Ken.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1962/act/9/enacted/en/print#sec43 This is the statute.

This is when a jury is needed

http://www.coronerdublincity.ie/faqs/inquest.htm


16. When is a jury necessary at inquest ?

A jury is required in the following circumstances:

where death may be due to homicide (or a suspicious death);
where death occurred in prison;
where death was caused by accident, poisoning or disease requiring notification to be given to a government department or inspector;
where death resulted from a road traffic accident;
where death occurred in circumstances which may be prejudicial to the health or safety of the public;
where the coroner considers it desirable to hold the inquest with a jury.
Where an inquest is held with a jury, it is the members of the jury (not the coroner) who return the findings and verdict together with any rider or recommendation.

Pro Hoc Vice

I have never heard of a published list but I assume the local court house will know.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1976/act/4/section/31/enacted/en/html#sec31

That section sets out liability to serve. I assume the jury is picked the same way as any other summons from the Electrol Roll. Buut again a call to local court office will get a defo answer.

Westernyelp

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Given that the Inquest/Coroner's Court is a public thing, I would have thought, like on the Court Service website there would be a list of inquests pending. Seems not.

Wonder about the Garda arranging juries also. Is that because they know the jurors or how transparent is it?

I do realise that such cases can be very sensitive, but surely if the Coroner's Court is open to the public it would be a bit more publicised.

Anyway, not meaning to cause any controversy. I understand the sensitivity.

It is the selection of the jury that I am mostly interested in, when it is required.

Juries are picked from a panel of people who have attended Jury duty before or at random from the register of electors I believe. My wife is called by the Gardai a few time each year to sit on these juries

Crunchienut

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

It is the selection of the jury that I am mostly interested in, when it is required.

When I worked for a large public service office in the city centre the Gardai would sometimes call the Personnel Dept looking to see if anybody could be made available for a jury and volunteers would be sought.

Pro Hoc Vice

ken wrote: »

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1962/act/9/enacted/en/print#sec43 This is the statute.

This is when a jury is needed

http://www.coronerdublincity.ie/faqs/inquest.htm


16. When is a jury necessary at inquest ?

A jury is required in the following circumstances:

where death may be due to homicide (or a suspicious death);
where death occurred in prison;
where death was caused by accident, poisoning or disease requiring notification to be given to a government department or inspector;
where death resulted from a road traffic accident;
where death occurred in circumstances which may be prejudicial to the health or safety of the public;
where the coroner considers it desirable to hold the inquest with a jury.
Where an inquest is held with a jury, it is the members of the jury (not the coroner) who return the findings and verdict together with any rider or recommendation.

Section 43 as above repealed in 1976. A handy feature on the Irish Statute website is at the top is a link to "amendments, commencement SI,s" click on that scroll to the section and it will show if it's amended or repealed.

Spanish Eyes

Thanks all,

Will get back.

I appreciate your information, thanks.

Little CuChulainn

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Given that the Inquest/Coroner's Court is a public thing, I would have thought, like on the Court Service website there would be a list of inquests pending. Seems not.

Wonder about the Garda arranging juries also. Is that because they know the jurors or how transparent is it?

I do realise that such cases can be very sensitive, but surely if the Coroner's Court is open to the public it would be a bit more publicised.

Anyway, not meaning to cause any controversy. I understand the sensitivity.

It is the selection of the jury that I am mostly interested in, when it is required.

I think it's mostly down to resources. There are very few available to coroners. Some are held in court rooms but many are simply held in conference rooms on hospitals. Some are even held in pubs and community centers.

I don't think the coroners would be opposed to having a public list of cases, there's just no facility set up. Most of the work arranging the inquests are done by the Gardaí.

Pro Hoc Vice wrote: »

I have never heard of a published list but I assume the local court house will know.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1976/act/4/section/31/enacted/en/html#sec31

That section sets out liability to serve. I assume the jury is picked the same way as any other summons from the Electrol Roll. Buut again a call to local court office will get a defo answer.

Like I just said, the Garda arranges the jury. They will usually go to people they know in the community and ask them to attend and to nominate others.

GM228

The Gardaí don't need to simply ask for someone to attend as a juror, that does make it sound optional, they can if they wish summons you to attend and failure to do so is an offene.

Would I be correct in saying that there are no longer any eligability and disqualification criteria for coronor court juries since the 1976 amendment of the Coroners Act 1962 and repeal of the Juries Act 1927.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

cobham

I attended a family inquest a few years ago and was told the jury might be from a nearby college where students were of age. It seemed a casual business of looking for volunteers.

I do not remember being informed of the date and time of this inquest and found it hard to find out information in advance so that family could make a decision to attend .... or not.

Peregrinus

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

The Juries Act 1976 mostly doesn't apply to coroner's juries, but s. 31 does state that every adult citizen residing in a coroner's district is "qualified and liable" to serve on the jury at any coroner's inquest, unless he is a person who would also be excusable from serving on a jury in a court. (This replaces Coronor's Act 1962 s. 42 which, as already noted, has been repealed.)

As a matter of practice, they try to arrange coroner's juries the same way as any other jury; people get a summons calling them for jury service by being selected at random from the register of electors. The power to summons is found in Coronor's Act 1962 s. 43 (which has not been repealed).

But it's a bit haphazard. Certainly in Dublin a lot of people who get a summons go to the Criminal Courts in Parkgate St or to the Four Courts, whereas the Coronor's Court sits in Store St. (It does say "Store St" on the notice, but a lot of people overlook this.) Hence they are often short on numbers, and have to try and impress a few more jurors from the immediate neighborhood. Coronors take the view that, if you are "liable" to serve under s. 31, you are bound to serve if asked.

Nokia6230i

I serve/sit in on a Coroners Court Jury; at it now this past 4-5 years.

Appearances are sporadic but 4-5, maybe 5-6 a year are the norm depending on location.

Some inquests are double inquests (I've done at least 2 of those; they're done in the one sitting if that makes sense).

One time I missed an inquest; given jury is only 6-7, maybe 8 if lucky, the Garda popped into nearest establishment & politely sequestered someone to sit in my place.

9 times out of 10 inquests're fairly straight-forward & our coroner (who's a local G.P.) will recommend we bring back a verdict in accordance with the information given; generally no time for manoeuvre (sp?).

I'd say I could count on fingers of 1 Hand amount of times we've actually left our seats to congregate in Judges chambers to deliver a verdict; Coroner generally suggests a verdict and unless any of us aren't in league with this, we simply nod our consent or the foreman who's almost selected by default at this stage since we're all such regulars will stand up and simply acknowledge this and say we do or we agree etc. & express his/her sympathy to relatives of those involved.

No pay but would do it for free anyway; ones civic duty & looks good on the C.V.; great ice-breaker too to shorten a journey.

I'm not sure how/why I was initially selected but the barracks had my name & number on file from previous incidents/contacts (I used to do security so that's probably how I came into contact as much as anything else).