I’m a little bit late to the question, but I think I can give some interesting information on the topic. When you are selected to be a candidate juror you are consided you can be summoned for any process needed for a block of 3 months if I remember correctly. I was summoned 3 times and 2 times in less than 2 months.

As for how the process is handled by the judge. Some starts by receiving every candidate jurors that want be excluded for either knowing any one implicated in the process or for personal reasons before randomly picking juror. Some judge goes directly randomly picking jurors and verifying with them if there are reasons they should or would be excluded (for personal reason or for knowing someone implicated in the process). I have seen both approaches.

When your number comes up, you will be led to another room with the judge and attorneys from the defense and the prosecution. The judge will ask you your age and current job title and the attorneys from both camps can reject you as a juror.

For the question about if it is criminal to not report to summon, I remember the judge asking the person controlling the presence (assistant sheriff? I don’t remember the title) to report the list of missing candidate jurors to the prosecution.

As for the chances, my number came up once in the last 2 times I was summoned and I was rejected by the defense attorneys. The other time I was summoned was for the filtering process on a pool of few thousands candidate jurors for a process expected to last at least 18 months.

Last thing that I find interesting is that the process of selecting the candidate jurors list is based on the electoral list and, for province of Québec at least, on how your last name relate to the language the process will be held.

Failing to show up is punishable by up to 6 months in prison. The reason I know this because my ex was once called for jury duty and every single time they brought it up they insisted on mentioning the potential consequence of not showing up. Every single time. They had very high anxiety about this.

is the probability on becoming part of the 12 jurors that high?

You’ll be in a pool of ~200 that gets whittled down to around 30. If you aren’t selected and the reason isn’t universally disqualifying you will go back into the pool for the next trial and so on for 2 years iirc.

Is it also a criminal offense for failing to show up?

Your jury notice(s) will make it explicit the consequences for dereliction of civic duty.

Is it also a criminal offense for failing to show up?

The times I was at jury selection, the judge issued warrants for the people who failed to appear.

is the probability on becoming part of the 12 jurors that high

I have been summoned 3 times (in my 60 years) , and was selected for a jury once.

Few years ago I got one, responded online and just told them I have ADHD and problems with authority. Never heard back.

Now if you paid me what I make by going to work id definitely have less problems with authority.

My partner was on a jury once.

I’ve never recorded a summons, nor anyone in my immediate family.

I was summoned once, was almost selected.

I got the letter in the mail the day before lockdown in 2020, so I had no one to talk to about it. I only found out later that they had moved jury trials to an auditorium in my city, but I never got a letter or could get a hold of anyone to tell me what to do. You are supposed to show up, by law employers need to give you the time off and you do get paid for showing up.

I once received a summons I unintentionally ignored. I was working in a bush camp when it was sent and didn’t actually get home to read it until almost six months later. Nothing ever came of it.

I got one, sort of. It was mailed to my parents house but I didn’t live there at the time. I don’t think I actually got it until after the “respond by” date, I was living 5 hours away and didn’t visit very often

I got one and didn’t go . nothing happened.