Tempted to toss that jury duty letter in the recycling? Here's what can actually happen if you don't show up in Canada, the US, the UK and Australia, and how to get excused the right way.
A jury summons always seems to show up at the worst possible time. Work is busy, the kids need picking up, and spending a week in a courthouse sounds about as fun as a root canal. So it's tempting to toss the letter and hope nobody notices.
But can you go to jail for ignoring a jury duty summons? In some places, technically yes. In practice, the usual result is a fine, and sometimes nothing happens at all. The penalties are real enough, though, that ignoring the letter is a bad bet, especially when getting excused is often easier than people expect.
Jury trials can't happen without jurors. When too many people don't show, trials get postponed, accused people wait longer, and courts have to summon even more people to fill the gap.
That's why every country in this article backs a summons with penalties. It's a court order, not an invitation.
Jury duty is run by the provinces, so the penalty depends on where you live.
In Ontario, the Juries Act makes it contempt of court to skip jury duty without a reasonable excuse. There's no set penalty for simply not showing up, which leaves a judge free to impose a fine or even jail, though that rarely happens. Separately, failing to return the jury questionnaire, or lying on it, is an offence with a fine of up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail.
Other provinces use fixed fines. Nova Scotia's summons warns of a penalty of up to $1,000. In Yukon, a judge once fined two no-shows $100 and $25 and warned that unpaid fines would send the sheriff looking for them.
In federal court, the rule is written into 28 U.S.C. § 1866(g). If you don't show up, the court can order you to appear and explain why. If you can't show good cause, you can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to three days, ordered to do community service, or any combination of those.
Federal judges do use it. In 2024, a federal court in West Virginia fined a no-show juror $1,000, while leaving the door open to reduce the fine if he completed steps the court ordered.
State courts set their own penalties, and they vary a lot. Nevada, for example, caps the contempt fine for a no-show juror at $500.
In England and Wales, failing to attend without a reasonable cause is an offence under section 20 of the Juries Act 1974. The maximum is a level 3 fine, which is £1,000. There's no prison term for simply not turning up.
Each state sets its own rules. In New South Wales, failing to attend can bring a fine of up to $2,200. The sheriff usually sends a notice first, giving you the chance to pay a smaller penalty or explain why you weren't there. Unpaid fines go to Revenue NSW and can grow from there. Other states run similar fine-based systems.
Very unlikely, but not impossible. Here's how it shakes out:
The real jail risk usually comes from what happens next. If a judge orders you to come in and explain yourself and you ignore that too, or you never pay the fine, it can escalate to a warrant.
This comes up a lot, and it's a fair defence. The penalties above are for people who were properly summoned and chose not to show up. If the letter went to an address you moved out of two years ago, you didn't ignore anything.
The law usually builds this in. In England and Wales, for instance, the Juries Act says the penalty for not attending generally doesn't apply unless the summons was served at least 14 days before your first attendance date, and anyone who can show a reasonable cause for missing it isn't liable. Most Canadian, US and Australian courts work on the same idea of a "reasonable excuse" or "good cause."
The catch is that you need to explain it. If you get a follow-up letter or a notice about a missed date, respond to it rather than assuming it'll go away.
Here's what most people don't realize. If you have a genuine reason, the system is built to let you out or push your service back. You just have to ask before the date.
Reasons courts commonly accept include:
Most courts now let you apply online through a juror portal. In Ontario, the province has an online form for deferral or excusal requests.
If you've already missed your date, call the jury office right away. Explaining quickly, especially if the summons went to an old address or you were away, usually sorts things out without a fine.
Ignoring a jury duty summons rarely leads to jail, but it can lead to a fine and, if you keep dodging the court, a warrant. In every country we looked at, a quick call or online request is far cheaper than a judge's order. So when the letter shows up, open it, read it, and if you can't serve, ask to be excused instead of ignoring a jury duty summons and hoping for the best.
This article is for general information only and isn't legal advice. Jury rules differ by province, state and court, so check the instructions on your summons or contact the jury office.
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