OT: Jury Duty....

[Divedog]

I've been summoned on at least 3 different occassions and I have looked forward to going each time. It is actually kind of interesting. If you don't go you shouldn't complain about the system. (not that you do). It's similar to not voting and complaining about who has been elected.

 

[Freed]

Commit a felony and you won't have to go.

 

[Reefer Wannabe]

I enjoyed it when I did it.

And now for my soapbox...what I tell my students (if you don't want to hear this, don't scroll down...)


































































Along with voting and paying taxes, jury duty is one of your responsibilities of being an American citizen. We enjoy many, many rights, and have few responsibilities as Americans.

 

[Freed]

But when you have to get up on the off shift and interrupt your normal schedule because someone may or may not have raped, robbed or pillaged then I will go the route of death penalty no ifs ands or buts. AND I will yell it loud and proud.

 

[Freed]

Now if they want to pay me more than the 5 dollars a day for being a model citizen and doing my moral, civic and right given duty, well then....

 

[momac]

It better be one hellava show. When I got called I saw some of the best performances of my life. I didn't have to pay a dern dime!
Just remember in your theatrical debute that the Judges have seen it all and they don't bend over easily.

PS... I do the graveyard thingy.

Break a leg!

 

[Ocicat]

I only waited for about an hour before I was called. I was considered for a murder trial (2nd degree)... It was pretty fascinating. I was disappointed that they didn't pick me.

I don't think they liked that I was a medical editor and wasn't worried about looking at their grisly photos... but I don't know - they really said very little to me. All in all I thought the whole process was questionable. Shouldn't you interview jurors one-on-one for a MURDER trial? They interviewed us in one big group of 24.

 

[Dert42]

if they show you pictures of bloody mangled corpses... tell them you're hungry all the sudden

 

[Amy83820]

I was interviewed for a first degree murder trial. There were probably about 100 of us. They had a list of about 50 questions that we all had to answer one by one. Took *forever*. Kind of interesting, but you could tell what answers they were fishing for. What surprised me was that they had the accused murderer in the room with us to hear the questioning. That was kind of odd just to have him sitting there looking at us.

 

[Reefer Wannabe]

He was probably just memorizing faces so he could come kill you if you convicted him.

 

[Amy83820]

Not me....i didn't get picked!

 

[Reefer Wannabe]

Good thing for you.

He would have had to wait until he got out anyway...

 

[Letmegrow]

I served on a jury.

The guy had $5 in crack and less than $5 of weed, we found him guilty and since it was his 3rd strike he was sentenced to 10 yeas in jail.

If I knew he was getting 10 years I would have said not guilty. Unless I know what the time is for the crime, I will not serve again.

 

[Reefer Wannabe]

I helped nail a guy on a civil trial who had sold a lady his house knowing that the foundation was cracking, there had been a fire in the attic and he had repaired that mediocrely, etc. He didn't reveal any of that when he was supposed to. It was bad enough that the house was probably going to have to be demolished. We got to choose how much he had to pay.

 

[Ocicat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7859583#post7859583 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Amy83820
What surprised me was that they had the accused murderer in the room with us to hear the questioning. That was kind of odd just to have him sitting there looking at us.

Yeah, same here - but he was an illegal immigrant and didn't speak English. He had a translator sitting with him. He was accused of stabbing to death another illegal immigrant. Some of the questions were about whether we had a problem with the state paying to prosecute and jail an illegal immigrant for the death of another illegal. What bothered me about the way it was handled was that people might be prone to conceal their true feelings - especially if they know they'll be seen as racist or bigoted - in front of a room full of strangers (and the immigrant himself), oath or not.

Also, they didn't ask us all the same questions - they would ask a question and then randomly pick a person or two to answer it.

 

[Divedog]

I was the last dismissed before the alternates on a trail where an old folks community in St. Chas was being sued for neglect. Turns out it was a community which my grand father had stayed briefly. Wonder why I was asked to leave??? It was, however, a very interesting experience.

 

[dynamitedj]

The legal system is corrupt and I'm curious how an intelligent person could possibly think that supporting corruption is morally right. Just try and tell me that a system whereby the amount of money you have determines your level of innocence is anything but immoral. Supporting it is only being too lazy to change it. Yeah, it's interesting to watch but don't forget that this travisty isn't television it's real life. Maybe you don't agree but my point is valid and can't be ignored, forever.