Irish Examiner View: Jury service is a call of duty that should be answered

Being asked to make yourself available for jury service is a bit like going to a dentist for root canal treatment — both adventures are something many people try to avoid.

Only around one-in-five citizens called for jury duty last year attended court.

Courts Service figures show 42,840 people were asked to serve at Dublin’s Criminal Courts of Justice last year but 29,682 were excused and another 4,248 people did not attend the court at all.

These figures deal with the Criminal Courts of Justice with a separate jury panel available for the Dublin Circuit Court and Central Criminal Court.

Around the country, the rate of attendance ranged between 10.8% in one county to 27.2% in another. In Leitrim, 2,050 people were summonsed but only 221 attended.

In Cork, 9,700 people were called but 6,278 were excused.

Jury service is one of those obligations that can be difficult from a practical point of view. It can be risky too — as the existence of non-jury courts confirmed.

However, without committed juries our justice system cannot function. It is an obligation that, if at all possible, should be met.