A: Jury Duty should be an honour! I don't know why you would want to get out of it without a legitimate reason. Anyway, everyone is called to jury duty, even Barack Obama while he was President. I received a Jury Summons in America when I lived there, but because I wasn't born there, I didn't qualify... disappointed.
Most information about Jury Duty in Trinidad and Tobago can be found in the Jury Act - Chapter 6:53 (as amended).
Section 37 states that you will be fined and if defaulted, imprisoned for failing to respond to a Jury Summons.
Section 4 of the Act outlines the qualifications you will need to be a Juror, so not meeting the criteria will be your friend's first defence.
If he/she meets all Section 4 criteria, disqualification under Section 5 is still possible, as well as the unlikely cases in Section 17 and Section 18.
When I interned at a Law Firm in Port-of-Spain, I had to attend many cases at the Hall of Justice to see what the process is like. I remember attending the jury selection for a murder trial and 70% of the potential jurors came prepared to get out of Jury Duty, but the Judge (can't remember her name) wasn't in the mood to hear any of the excuses people were using.
The most legitimate excuses I heard and thought would work were all rebutted:
•fear for life - "There is nothing to fear"
•child care (children past the breast feeding stage) - "You will have sufficient time to make arrangements"
•living too far - "You won't be here every day and you will receive remuneration under Section 34."
•no time off (might get fired) - It's your legal obligation and you can't get fired under Section 42
I will say though, that urgent travel plans, funerals, weddings and serious illnesses are legitimate reasons, but I am in no way encouraging you to lie.
