Delinquent jurors and the delinquency process

Find out what happens if you don't respond to your jury summons and learn about the steps in the delinquency process.

Up to the date you were scheduled to serve jury duty, you can log into the Massachusetts Juror Service Website and select a new date to serve. If the date you were scheduled to serve has passed, you must call the Office of Jury Commissioner (OJC) at (800) 843-5879 to reschedule your service or request a disqualification.

If you don't respond to your jury summons and miss your jury duty date, you're considered a delinquent juror, and the OJC will take the following steps to reach you. You should respond to these notices as early on in the process as possible to resolve your delinquency.

Stages of the delinquency process

 

  1. Failure to Appear Notice. The OJC will send you this postcard telling you to explain your absence and reschedule or to provide information about why you should be disqualified.
  2. Notice of Delinquency. If you don't respond to the Failure to Appear Notice, you'll receive a Notice of Delinquency, and will need to follow the steps on the notice. Notices of Delinquency are sent to jurors who fail to respond to a summons, respond but fail to appear, or appear but fail to complete their service.
  3. Application for Criminal Complaint. If you don't respond to your Notice of Delinquency, you'll receive a Notice of Hearing on an Application for Criminal Complaint, and will need to appear for a show cause hearing before the clerk magistrate of the appropriate court. 
  4. Summons for Defendant (Arraignment) Notice. If you don't appear for your hearing, the court will issue a criminal complaint against you and send a summons instructing you to appear for arraignment at the court. 
  5. Warrant. If you don't appear for your arraignment, the court may enter a default against you and issue a warrant for your arrest. You should resolve this matter with the court immediately. 

 

Contact   for Delinquent jurors and the delinquency process

Fax

(617) 422-5869

Address

Street Address
560 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118
Mailing Address
560 Harrison Ave., Suite 600, Boston, MA 02118

Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

Please do not include personal or contact information.
Feedback