When good jurors go bad
Working in courts can be amusing at times, and one source for anecdotes is jury duty. Most people take jury duty very seriously, and I try my best to ensure that courts make jury service efficient and worthwhile for those who do. Occasionally, jurors display human weaknesses that make for head shaking bemusement. OK, this isn't technology, but it's entertaining.
JUI
The first in our jurors-gone-wild episode is the case of a Texas juror who got it mostly right by showing up, going through the qualifying process, and almost making it to the courtroom where a misdemeanor driving under the influence case was ready for trial. As is usually the case, the inevitability of the trial prompted a guilty plea, but the judge noted that one juror was absent. After looking around, they found him in the judge's office displaying strange behavior that, after closer inspection, revealed he was under the influence himself (jurying under the influence?). He was promptly arrested.
$15 A DAY? ... LET IT RIDE
A recent study by a Cornell University student shows that the time it takes for a jury to deliberate is directly related to the amount of their daily pay for service. To be sure, jurors are highly underpaid and several states are taking commendable action to increase the daily stipend to better reflect today's prices. California, for instance, raised jury pay from a measly $5-a-day to $15-a-day back in 1998 ... the pay kicks in when you actually start a jury trial and your service is either one-day or one-trial, meaning if you don't get picked, you go home after the first day. In any event this study showed that a 10% increase in juror compensation increases the time juries spend deliberating by 5%.
Huh? Are they implying that for $5-a-day jurors will make short work of their deliberations, but for $15-a-day they'll stretch it out?
This reminds me of the nutjobs who run for mayor or city council because they need the stipend to live on. If I could only get myself on a jury, I'd be on easy street ...
Chris Crawford
www.justiceserved.com
Photo credit - Jury's Restaurant, Chicago