I found out yesterday that the jury duty I almost had to perform was for the Kathy Taft murder case. While I was willing to serve, I am feeling very fortunate today not to have been tapped for this case. I work as a contractor and get paid by the hour and the contracting firm that employs me would’ve only paid for the first 40 hours of jury service. The Taft case will likely drag out for months, putting us in a significant financial bind. The $50 a day with which the court would’ve compensated me would not have come remotely close to bridging the gap. This all aside from the emotionally traumatic impact the case will have on all its jurors.
If these factors often weed out good juror candidates, what does that leave for our justice system? What can be done to allow people like me to serve without the risk of putting us in the poor house? Should trials be shortened solely to minimize the disruption on jurors, or would that be denying the defendant his or her due process rights?
What about the back end of the trial? If it costs $30,000 to feed and house an inmate, is that money well spent or would society be better off investing it in education, crime prevention, or welfare? Might we be doing something different?
I believe we as a society don’t often consider these issues because most of us never have to face them. A jury summons might not have put me on the hook for months worth of challenging service but it has got me thinking of how we can improve our justice system. There’s got to be a better way.