juror duty

I received a letter in the mail today that made me more than a little apprehensive. It bore the title "Department of Justice" in a small - yet remarkably intimidating - font. It is not as though I have committed any recent crimes that would put in in fear of prosecution, tell me, why then was I afraid to open the envelope?

It turns out that I am not the "bad guy" that the Crown prosecutor has it out for, but rather, some other guy who is going to be tried by a jury of his peers. The jury selection summons requires prospective jurors to respond within five days or face the consequence of a fine, jail time, or both. Needless to say my response is already in the mail.

I quickly looked through all the factors that would exclude me from eligibility to serve on a jury; unfortunately, I don't think my psychosis qualifies as a genuine mental infirmity that renders me incapable of the duties of a juror. Is it possible that I could use conscious or religious vows as an excuse to preclude my service? Not really. So all I could do was check the box that states that "I wish to be exempt from serving as a juror because: bla, bla, student, bla, bla, don't have time, bla." We'll see if that cuts the mustard