Jury service at a Coroners' court

During most inquests, the Coroner will reach a conclusion without a jury. However, there are exceptions where a jury may be needed.

This might happen if:

• someone has died in custody not of clearly natural causes
• the person died at work (whether this was due to their own or someone else’s actions)
• the person may have died due to health and safety problems
• the Coroner thinks it would be helpful or in the public interest

How the is jury selected

Members of the public will be chosen at random from the electoral register to serve on the jury.

If you’re chosen, you will receive a letter in the post, and if an inquest is unable to go ahead you will be updated.

What happens when a jury is present at an inquest

The jury will decide the facts of the case, including how the person died and the cause of death. Like the Coroner, the jury cannot assign blame for the death. The Coroner will control matters of law and procedure, such as which witnesses to call.