UNITED STATES—How many of you have actually served jury duty? I can tell you all from my experience I have done it more times than I can count on a single hand. Yeah, most Americans are lucky if they serve jury duty just once in their lifetime, but not me. I seem to be that odd American who seems to be chosen so much it’s like they just want me to serve whenever possible and that annoys the hell out of me.
Why? There are people I know, who have NEVER, not a single time in their lifetime served on a jury or been selected for jury duty service. It is annoying frankly and it makes you wonder if our justice system is much more flawed than we think or can imagine. Yes, I know that is a very bold claim to make, but you are speaking to someone who has served on a federal case, a state case and a local case.
I have literally been summoned to jury duty every single year since 2005. One year, I was called 3 times, after already serving 3 weeks on a federal case. It’s like jeez, give me a break already. Call someone else for the service. I work, and the last thing I want is to miss work for jury duty for 8 plus hours a day where you’re limited on tech inside the court, you don’t always feel safe as a juror, and you don’t even get paid a livable wage.
Most jurors are receiving about or less than $5 an hour. Do the math, that is like child labor or worst. If I’m serving on a jury, I should be compensated much more than that. It’s a literal slap in the face, which explains why so many people hate the notion of jury service. They don’t care and then you’re asking these people to determine someone’s fate, which I have a massive issue with.
You might be asking the question, how can I make such a claim? I encountered it, I saw and witnessed it with my own eyes. I heard it directly from others jurors’ mouths which sickened me immediately. Who the hell says, “I don’t really care. However you all vote, I will vote the same way.” That alone told me that there is an issue with the U.S. government when it comes to jury duty. Then you have others saying, “I really don’t want to be here, I can care less about this case or what happens.”
It raises the question, rather people are actually convicted or not based on a jury of their peers who have actually considered all the evidence. I remember the first jury I served on a federal case, me and one other juror took the case beyond seriously, someone’s life was at stake, and I wasn’t just about to roll over because the other jurors didn’t give a damn. Then on another jury, we all were so passionate I couldn’t believe it; it was a literal dog fight in the jury room because people were so passionate about the evidence, the case and what was at risk.
We combed the evidence and combed it again and again and ultimately reached a resolution where emotion or bias was not involved, but the actual evidence presented and what wasn’t presented. That doesn’t always happen; you get the jury foreman or forewoman who takes the position and just bulldozes things and that is not good for the justice system if you’re asking me.
People need to think for themselves, I even hate the thought of this, but perhaps there should be a camera and microphone in the jury room to ensure no shady antics are unfolding, but I don’t think that can legally be done. We want things to be impartial and without influence or coaching, but that means you have to make people CARE, and that is not easy to do in the legal system. Some care some do not, and not sure if that can ever be changed.
They always show you that stupid video discussing how serving on a jury is your civic duty. Instead of showing that video, they should perhaps show the movie, “12 Angry Men” from 1967. That is a movie that really shows the intricacies of being on a jury and serving. It opens your eyes to things.
Yes, you’re not supposed to have bias, but you will always have bias because human beings by nature have biases, but you have to fight thru them, which some do, while others do not. They don’t care to push beyond the noise in their head that is clouding the thinking. We need an improvement of the jury service system to ensure people are not just agreeing for the sake of agreeing, but to do the right thing.
Written By Jason Jones
