The whole system is crap.
- You receive very little notice. I was given less than a month right before the holidays.
- You're not told how long you'll have to serve. They helpfully mention that most cases take a day or two, but add that some can take weeks. So, what, clear your schedule for the next month? Or just hope the odds are on your side?
- If you're unlucky enough to be sequestered, you're pretty much cut off from society completely for days/weeks.
- You're told to bring a book when you show up because you might have to sit around at the courthouse for most of the day.
- You're paid an absolute pittance that comes nowhere near reimbursing the cost of missing work.
- If you don't want to serve, you have to send a physical snail-mail letter to the court begging to be let off the hook, and it's up to them to decide based on who knows what criteria.
- If you're unable to get out of it, and you cancel all of your plans to accommodate jury duty, you still may be dismissed the night before, or the day of.
In short, the entire jury duty process is/can be expensive, inconvenient and inefficient. It's not just a matter of people being too lazy to put in a couple hours of community service; jury duty is an extremely disruptive life event. Certainly not for everyone and not on every case, but there's always the possibility that you'll take a major financial hit and be tied up for weeks to do a job that, by its very nature, nearly any other citizen could have done in your place. You are a meaningless cog being asked to perform an onerous task under terrible terms with no attempt made to compensate you. It's no wonder people try to get out of jury duty and I can't blame them one bit; the process is draconian.
- You receive very little notice. I was given less than a month right before the holidays.
- You're not told how long you'll have to serve. They helpfully mention that most cases take a day or two, but add that some can take weeks. So, what, clear your schedule for the next month? Or just hope the odds are on your side?
- If you're unlucky enough to be sequestered, you're pretty much cut off from society completely for days/weeks.
- You're told to bring a book when you show up because you might have to sit around at the courthouse for most of the day.
- You're paid an absolute pittance that comes nowhere near reimbursing the cost of missing work.
- If you don't want to serve, you have to send a physical snail-mail letter to the court begging to be let off the hook, and it's up to them to decide based on who knows what criteria.
- If you're unable to get out of it, and you cancel all of your plans to accommodate jury duty, you still may be dismissed the night before, or the day of.
In short, the entire jury duty process is/can be expensive, inconvenient and inefficient. It's not just a matter of people being too lazy to put in a couple hours of community service; jury duty is an extremely disruptive life event. Certainly not for everyone and not on every case, but there's always the possibility that you'll take a major financial hit and be tied up for weeks to do a job that, by its very nature, nearly any other citizen could have done in your place. You are a meaningless cog being asked to perform an onerous task under terrible terms with no attempt made to compensate you. It's no wonder people try to get out of jury duty and I can't blame them one bit; the process is draconian.
Because I don't see myself as interchangeable with nearly anyone else. I did find my time on a jury to be inconvenient (and yes, the system is really not ideal...but I don't know how you get around that without changing some fundamental and necessary aspects. Probably the only thing they could do relatively easily is be better about scheduling as to give more notice). And that was from a position of being fortunate enough to have a FT salaried job that meant I didn't have any missing-work costs at all, other than the stuff I wasn't getting done while I wasn't there...I kept thinking how much more inconvenient it would have been if I didn't have a regular schedule and if I had to worry about taking time off that I didn't have or forgoing my usual pay for the pittance jurors are paid per day.
It was also frustrating because of the people who were there who didn't want to take the responsibility seriously or be fair.
Having said that, though, I do see it as an important civic duty. I can understand people for whom it presents a legitimate difficulty (financial, childcare, work-related, etc.) trying to get out of it, but not just from a general sense of self-importance or not wanting to be bothered.
If you are from Betelgeuse, please have one of your Earth friends read what I've written before you respond. Or try concentrating harder.
"The trophy problem has become extreme."
"The trophy problem has become extreme."
Jury Duty!
- 20/02/2012 11:46:38 PM
945 Views
You really shouldn't be posting opinions about a legal case that is underway.
- 21/02/2012 01:47:41 AM
660 Views
A mistrial can be declared for a juror simply making a conclusion?
- 21/02/2012 03:18:45 AM
558 Views
God Bless you!
- 21/02/2012 05:55:46 AM
555 Views
It's perfectly understandable for people to avoid jury duty.
- 21/02/2012 06:57:34 AM
665 Views
Re: It's perfectly understandable for people to avoid jury duty.
- 21/02/2012 07:39:02 AM
542 Views
I have no problem with the giving of thanks, only the giving of, uh, scoffs. 
- 21/02/2012 04:13:05 PM
575 Views
- 21/02/2012 04:13:05 PM
575 Views
You left out the part of making sure the wrong person won't go to jail... *NM*
- 21/02/2012 03:45:10 PM
333 Views
Yeah? In which part of my message would you like to see that added?
- 21/02/2012 03:53:42 PM
553 Views
I must be more arrogant than you 
- 21/02/2012 05:46:01 PM
676 Views
- 21/02/2012 05:46:01 PM
676 Views
I agree that it's an important civic duty, I just think it has a terrible supporting system.
- 21/02/2012 07:34:04 PM
548 Views