Jury Duty (1 Viewer)

[DeathStar1]

Here's something I've been wondering, especially since they just discussed it on the radio today.
Why can't they get people who actually WANT to go to Jury Duty, and keep their information in their databanks? There have to be tons of people on debate teams, wanna be laywers in college, studiers of law, who actually want to do this stuff. So, why bother working people, who need to go to their jobs?
So far, I've been lucky. But I don't know what I would do if I had to go to Jury Duty. A Day trial I can probably take. But if you have, or have heard of a condition known as Obsession Control Disorder, you know what I go through on a daily basis. I have the same problem Mark Summers has/ With Cleanliness.
Without getting too descriptive here, I can't go to the bathroom without taking a shower, because I just think I'm dirty all over. It'll constantly be in my thoughts untill I have the ability to rectify it. Even something as simple as sneezing will cause me to wash my hands. As stated, I could probably last a full day in court, but if I where sequestered, that would open up a whole new bottle of problems. There is medicine for it, but it wears off after a week or so, and I'm worse than I was before, and even the medicine dosn't help all situations...
Reason why I'm wondering, is would this get me off Jury Duty for good, especially if it was a long trial? They where discussing the fact that they are trying to rule out all hardships except for medical conditions. This is a medical condition wich could be proven by the doctor I went to get treatment for...
Just a few things that's been bugging me .

 

[Jagan Seshadri]

Obsession Control Disorder...is that was Howard Hughes had?

Here's an interesting thought, can you obsessively control your disorder? Seriously, I wonder if people with it can use their affliction to cure their affliction.

-JNS

 

[DeathStar1]

>>Here's an interesting thought, can you obsessively control your disorder? Seriously, I wonder if people with it can use their affliction to cure their affliction. >>
Hmm, never thought of it that way before, but I seriously doubt it. I tried to go back to a 'normal' attitude, but I just couldn't do it. I lasted an hour, tops, for instance, when sneezing once. I wiped my hands on a tissue like normal people do.... but the more I thought about it, the more it bugged me.
Or, one wrotten time, I had to really go to the bathroom on an Amtrack train trip to Florida, after putting it off for a record 13 hours.. Despite cleaning up afterwords, I still felt dirty without a shower, and it was the first thing I did when I got the chance...
It may sound strange, and it is . But, so long as I can control it ASAP, I've learned to live with it.

 

[Grant B]

I normally get up at 4:30am to go to work. Today I should be home by 7pm.

Jury duty I needed to be there by 9am and could walk therein under 20 minutes. 3 out of 4 days I was home by 2pm and I Get My full pay. On top of that it is in Downtown San Francisco with 90 minutes for lunch and a ton of great restaurants.

IT'S A VACATION FOR ME!!!!!

I was practically screaming pick me (3 months was the estimated trial. Everyone else is giving me lameass excuses.....and of course they don't even get to me.

I would have given my left nut to get on that jury. Really!

 

[Ryan Wright]

See, I don't WANT a long vacation. I would come back to system configuration changes I didn't make and have to retune the computers to run the way I want them to run, etc... too damn much hassle.

My biggest problem with jury duty are the things they make you do. A coworker had to make a nearly 2 hour drive (one way), every day for a week, for jury duty because they had the trial in another town. They won't pay him for gas nor will they pay for a hotel room. So he basically ends up driving for nearly 4 hours a day, being unable to spend much time with his family, and spending a lot of his own money on gas that then eats into his finances.

He was complaining about it... I don't blame him. I solved the problem when they called me for jury duty: I called back and told them I was too busy. "Thanks but no thanks." I was prepared to fight them if they tried to force me, but they said, "OK, no problem" and that was it.

Personally I would like to serve on a jury. I feel it is my duty as a citizen of the United States, but I also feel it is the government's duty to make it somewhat reasonable for people. Driving 2 hours one way every day at your own expense is not reasonable. Sitting in a courtroom for eight hours while they go through a selection process and never getting to you is not reasonable. Paying you $5 a day is only reasonable because most employers will pay your regular salary... otherwise, it would be insanity. (for that matter, forcing people whose employers WON'T pay them for jury duty to serve anyway is insanity)

 

[D. Scott MacDonald]

While I can understand people's desire to not serve on jury duty, the legal system would be totally screwed if it was on a volunteer basis. As it sits right now, you stand a chance of getting a fairly representitive cross section of society. If it was volunteer based, that would not be the case. You would be much more likely to get a group of people that liked the power and in the mood to convict somebody without taking their reponsibility too seriously. Or likewise, you might get a bunch of people that think that crime is no big deal and they should let everybody go.

While not perfect, as it stands today most people take jury duty serious and try to do their best to reach a fair verdict. I'd really hate to jepordize that.

 

[MickeS]

While I can understand people's desire to not serve on jury duty, the legal system would be totally screwed if it was on a volunteer basis.

You assume that there would still BE a jury system. The system could be changed so that a jury, the way it is now, wouldn't even be needed. Other countries have this, the US could too.

/Mike

 

[D. Scott MacDonald]

You assume that there would still BE a jury system. The system could be changed so that a jury, the way it is now, wouldn't even be needed. Other countries have this, the US could too.

Yes, a system other than the jury system could work, but I was responding to the original comment that a voluntary jury system should be implemented.

 

[Derrik Draven]

When I go for jury duty, I usually wear my camo's and my NRA hat.
Trust me, no one ever picks me for a jury.
I've even had a few friends ask to borry my hat...:rolleyes

 

[Todd Hochard]

You assume that there would still BE a jury system. The system could be changed so that a jury, the way it is now, wouldn't even be needed. Other countries have this, the US could too.

And this would be a good thing? For all that's wrong with our justice system, I would shudder at the thought of one person with an agenda deciding my fate.
Jury duty to me, is just one of those tedious, but necessary, things. Kind of like mowing the lawn 2x/week in the summer here in FL.
Todd

 

[MickeS]

it was volunteer based, that would not be the case. You would be much more likely to get a group of people that liked the power and in the mood to convict somebody without taking their reponsibility too seriously. Or likewise, you might get a bunch of people that think that crime is no big deal and they should let everybody go.

Why would these be the two most likely options?

If there was a volunteer based jury system, I imagine that the selection of people would be done just like today, and that the people on the jury would be pretty much a cross section like today.

You might as well argue that forcing people to be on a jury would make them hateful towards the defendant, or that it might make them willing to let everybody go just so they can get out of there quickly.

/Mike

 

[Jon_Are]

I've never understood people who dread the thought of jury duty. Like Grant said, it beats the hell out of work.

I'm going next week. The summons said the average trial - if you're chosen - lasts 3-5 days.

Oh well; I'm off to iron my CHOOSE ME! shirt.

Jon

 

[Chad R]

Ryan,

In answer to your question about being sequestered for a long period of time, if it's a recorded medical condition (which means you just need a note from your doctor) than you will not be forced to be sequestered.

There are any number of reasons to not serve on a lengthy trial, and the jury selection process is very selective. If being away from your job that long is too much of a burden on your employer, you won't serve. If you have young children and no other method for their care, you don't have to serve. And if you have a debilitating illness, than luckily you don't have to serve.

The scary thought is that the people who have the time to serve on these incredibly long trials may not be the best people to decide the accused's fate theoretically.

 

[DeathStar1]

>>In answer to your question about being sequestered for a long period of time, if it's a recorded medical condition (which means you just need a note from your doctor) than you will not be forced to be sequestered. And if you have a debilitating illness, than luckily you don't have to serve.
>>
Yep, it is a recorded medical condition that I have. Although I don't know if it would be considered debilitating. It certainly is Mind Altering, however. So much so, that it's all I can think about at a time unless something is done. For example, as I stated in an earlier post, I had to use a public rest room once, because I just couldn't hold it in anymore. For the next three hours, it was all I could think about untill I got the chance to take a shower. If I where to sneeze in a courtroom, for instance, I might wipe it away with a tissue, but I'd still have a major urge to wash my hands with soap anyway. That small thing would distract me from what was going on.
The way I see it, they'd be better off without me since it would be too much of a hassle. As I stated earlier, I could probably make it through a day trial with no problem. I can go as long as 14 hours without going to the bathroom, wich can come in handy on long trips . However, anything more than that would be a major strain on my psyche, heh.

 

[Kevin T]

I would have given my left nut to get on that jury.

this little quip has always confused me. i use it quite often as well but i wonder where in our society did the right nut become so bastardized that no one would want it...hence having to give your left nut away.

kevin t

 

[Jonathan Burk]

I had jury duty last November, and it was really cool. I got picked for a personal injury case. It turned out this poor couple had gotten lightly rear ended in September of '98, and then months later a friend referred them to a sleazy lawyer who referred them to a doctor who then put them through three months of "physical therapy". Well, the insurance company knew it was a scam, so they refused to pay, and it went to trial. The plaintiff's attorney was terrible, and got eaten alive by the defense. (I felt sorry for the guy, since this could have been his first time in a court room, judging how things went.) There wasn't a shred of evidence in favor of the plaintiff's; they had been deposed twice before, and then examined during the trial, and their testimony contradicted the depositions at every turn. I could go on, but needless to say, it was incredibly obvious they were just out for $$$.

Sad thing was, there were a few jurors who "felt sorry" for the plaintiffs, and kept trying to make excuses as to why we should award them $$$, without any basis in fact. We had to deliberate for a whole day. Eventually they admitted they were basing their opinion on feelings, and not any evidence presented during the trial, so we ended up deciding for the defense.

But it was fascinating to see the trial, and a really good experience.

 

[MickeS]

Jonathan, my wife was in a case where the plaintiffs were obviously just out for money, and no evidence supported their claim. They, of course, got nothing, but some of the jurors felt the same way they did on your juiry, they "felt sorry" for the plaintiffs and wanted to give them some money.

I feel sad for the people who are represented by the attorneys who take on these cases. The only ones making money off of this are the sleazy lawyers. Something has to be done about this.

/Mike

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Obsession Control Disorder? This sounds more like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD for short.
Here is a FAQ:
http://www.ocdhelp.org/faq.html
I am fairly certain in this case, a doctor's note would suffice to get out of jury duty.
- Steve

 

[Nate Anderson]

When I was called to Jury duty, I ended up going for a total of a week and a half, and basically spent the whole time sitting around waiting for a case. I was interviewed for one, but never got a case. Just as well.

Neil, I think if you did get drawn, you could get excused because of your "condition." So, don't worry about it man. Also, most cases don't have secluded juries anyway...

 

[John Besse]

I've got Jury Duty on April 15th :frowning: I'm not psyched about it at all. Give me a good way to get out it!!!