Why do so many people consider it a chore to serve on a jury?

Answer 1

omg i love to do that!! it would be like being in an episode of boston legal!!

i want jury duty!

Answer 2

Because it is
A) Time consuming. People think they don't have the time, because their priorities are skewed.

B) Because it doesn't pay well. Most people say that to serve means they would lose money, and that would cause a 'hardship'.

C) Because they are apathatetic. They don't care about their community, and their place and duty in it.

D) They are selfish. Unless they have ever had to go thru a court proceeding as either a plaintiff or a defendant, they never realize how important having a good and fair jury really is.

I am sure there are a few more points out there that I am missing....but this is basically what I feel it is.
I too used to duck out of my jury duty. But this year I gave in to my curiosity and went when I was summoned. Actually enjoyed it. Got a chance to see, and meet a number of new people....got a first hand glimpse at how the system is set up to work,...made some extra money, since I don't work right now. (actually since I had to pay for cab fare to the courthouse, and it came out to a dollar more round trip then what they were paying me, I actually lost money) but the things I learned were really interesting.
Sadly, once I got involved in it, I actually was hoping that I would be chosen....(being sopeonaed doesn't mean you will get picked)... when I finally got called, it turned out I wasn't fit for that particular case..was a rape case, and I was probably excused on the basis that I have been a victim.
What mattered to me was, I got the feeling that I was actually participating in "DOING" something positive for the comunity in which I live.

Would I do it again? You bet.

Answer 3

Most people do not get paid for Jury duty, and unlike what you see on TV, rarely is a case gong to garner enough attention so you can write a book to boost your earnings.

Additionally, courts are usually in the Civic center of a city, this frequently is where the heaviest traffic is encountered, making it truly a chore to get there and get home.

I think our Jury system is antiquated, it is time to update it. I have two different Ideas for Jury duty
1) Dr's have to do an internship so why not lawyers. Have everyone who wants to be a lawyer, serve a year or two as a juror. you can still have the same system where the lawyers involved in the caste can interview the jurors and choose or reject who they will.

But by having law students serve it provides two functions,
a) they have a better understanding of reasonable doubt than the average person and are m ore likely to be impartial when it comes to strictly weighing the evidence.

b) it allows them to see what the court is like from the other end of the spectrum, thus it may give them a better understanding of the court system in general.

2) We could have professional jurors. People trained to understand the concepts and to be impartial.

The argument that you are tried by a jury of your peers is as valid with either of these models as it is today. Because there is no way you can convince me the OJ, Robert Blake and Michael Jackson were tried by a jury of their peers.

Answer 4

High expenses (lost wages, parking, eating out)
Low reimbursment for expenses ($5 to $15)
Boring and/or Stressful

I got lucky. I finally got called during a job that paid you while you served. I was warned about the sitting around, so I brought a book. It wasn't even necessary as there were so many other bored people ready and willing to chat. I was treated really well by the guards, court staff, etc (rather queenly almost! They're trying to get better response rates). I shot the shi* with new and interesting folks and wasn't called to a case all day, so my service was done! I live in one of those places that has one day/one case. You show up for the day and if you're not called that day, that's it!

I realize that I was lucky however. I skipped Jury Duty a couple of times in my younger years because I had crap jobs that didn't pay lost wages and I was poor and couldn't pay rent if I took time off. So I sure understand that. However, I think that if you CAN do it (i.e. your job still pays you) than you should. If you can't, you can't. It skews the jury panel toward higher income folks but unless the system requires jobs to pay, that's the way it's gonna be.

Answer 5

I would consider it a chore simply because I would not be paid whilst serving. Otherwise, I am all in favor of carrying out an important civic duty. The trouble is that, as previously noted, the jury pool is skewed. You get those who can afford to take time off work and those who, for whatever reason, are not in work. I would suggest that leaves an awful lot of the population under-represented on juries.

I am British now living in the USA and I was amazed that you do not get paid lost wages to sit on a jury or, at least, a median amount that represents a wage.

Answer 6

Here you are, picked for jury trial. Spend days listening to both sides. Now it's time to make the big decision. May take days (depending on trial) to consider and re-consider what the verdict will be.

Back in court to give verdict. Person is found guilty. Next thing you hear, Supreme Court over turns verdict.

Question being; why sit on jury, racking your brain, just to have verdict over turned. If you have the money, there's an over turn. I don't call that justice. I call that going through the motions or is it called miscarriage of justice.

Don't get me wrong, because I'm all for justice.

However, when you don't have the money you go to jail. If you do have the money you don't go to jail. I know that those with the money also go to jail, but what are the percentages.

First time I was sent the card for jury duty, my mom was sick and I was excuses. Second time when sent a card, never responded. Figured if they wanted me that bad, they would have to come and get me. If that actually happened, trust me, they wouldn't want me on any jury.

I'd love to see more justice, but you tell me, what's it going to take.

Answer 7

I don't know. I looked forward to my jury duty and had a reasonably good time. Of course, I had a really decent judge and nice people on the jury and a rather insignificant case. If the judge had been difficult, or the people serving with me were a problem, or if it had been a bigger case, it might have been different. I prefer not to go now because the courthouse is so far away, but I would if I had to.

Answer 8

It's not the "serving on a jury" that's the chore. It's the long, horrendously boring task of being on jury duty and waiting out the day to see if (a) we'll be selected to be on a panel of potential jurists, and (b) if we get to the panel of 40 point, will be selected to be one of the 12?

AND, if we're selected to be on the panel of 40, from which the 12 will be selected, we have to endure long, boring blatherings, interspersed with questions from the prosecuting and defense lawyers.

And, if the blatherings are even somewhat interesting and we answer with any show of intelligence, then it's almost a guarantee that we won't be selected to be on the jury.

And for your trouble, you get 6 bucks! Only, recently, they've started adding a guilt trip to the 6 bucks, asking us if we're willing to instead donate the 6 to city charities.

Anyway, I do my civic duty and I go when summonsed...
And, if it's not for a federal case, I bring lots to read and do in the long meanwhiles..

Answer 9

i've been on jury service and i liked the experience but the case was awful my dad would love to do it but i feel like i lived a sheltered life before i went on jury service and i never thought people thought of the vile things that happened let alone do it and it makes me think how people are not protected by the law and although the defendant blatantly done what he was accused of he was found not guilty by the judges over ruling... thus meaning that i have no faith in the criminal justice service and no way are anyone safe and you cant trust anybody... so with the disgusting things like paedophilia, rape, murder, drugs offences no wonder people consider it to be a chore some people dont even get to go home because their lives are at risk if they sit on a jury

Answer 10

1. Our judicial system sucks...even with a jury.
Too many guilty people go free,while often the innocent do time or are given outrageous fines to pay.

2. If you earn $200+ per day on a 9 to 5,
why take $100 per day for jury duty?
Civic duty?...then let the judge earn the $100, and give the juror the $400 to 500 per day the judge makes...

Answer 11

It depends on the case...if it's long, tedious, or media orientated it can take forever and jurors need to be sequestered. In some big cases they could not leave the building or watch the news or read newspapers. That's rare but generally people have to take time off work are paid nowhere near the loss of a days pay. Parking, traffic, tolls, and not all people dislike it. I know a lady who sat on the jury of a murder trial and found it exciting.