Legal Question in Criminal Law in Pennsylvania

Re: bench warrant

All citizens must participate in the court system for it to work properly. If you receive a summons to appear for jury duty and you ignore it, you run the risk of being arrrested for contempt of court. Contempt, in PA, can be punished by up to 6 months in jail.

The second part of your question only makes sense if you have a pending criminal case. Then, I would think/hope you would be in contact with your lawyer while she/he prepares for the trial. However, if you do have a pending criminal matter, not appearing for your scheduled court date will result in a bench warrant for failure to appear.

Re: bench warrant

While it is possible to receive a bench for failing to show up for jury duty, it is somewhat unlikely if you currently have open charges and you missed a court hearing. If you have an open matter, you probably missed a date and have a bench warrant on your open case. 9 out of 10 times the best advice is to turn yourself in as soon as possible after receiving the bench warrant, however, you should speak to YOUR lawyer before so doing.

Feel free to email or call [email protected] 215.825.5183. Good Luck. Brian.