Jury duty in today's economic climate

[p.dath]

Considering I'm getting sweet FA work lately, I'd be rapt to be on a trial right now, at least I'd have a regular income for a while!

Ring them up and see if you can get on one. :-) Just slip in the word "guilty" every fourth word.

[Swoop]

I am happy that reasonable parking is now being paid to jurors.

Having been called up every two (frikkin') years, and been on a few juries...

[FROSTY:Me]

For you, Frosty, I'd suggest you could get out of it on the grounds of self-employment and causing extreme hardship.

Heck no I wont be called up -that said there might be a letter in the mail tomorrow. It came up in conversation recently. The poor bloke can't get off Hes on reduced hours alreads so savings are out the window.
Yet they wont left him off

[Kiwi Graham:Me]

In my job I can get excused for jury duty, have been called twice in 8 years.
It is a duty to attend if you can but if you are your family are going to suffer as a result you have every right to request not to.

[Maha]

I attended once, just to see what it was like...three days I think?
Was called up again but I knew the Registrar so got off, never been called again.

[Winston001]

If you work for a decent employer they'll just keep paying you.

That's all very well in a large workplace but most employers run small businesses - 2 - 8 staff. The cost to the employer of covering a staff member on jury duty is often too high to do so.

Agree that the basic rate of $31/half day is pitiful.

[ajturbo]

i will not do jury duty unless they pay me what i can earn on an average day..

so unless they find $450/day... sorry don't bother asking me.!

[Maha]

i will not do jury duty unless they pay me what i can earn on an average day..

so unless they find $450/day... sorry don't bother asking me.!

Wow! Street sweepers are well paid!

[Grumpy Gnomb]

Think we should all do our civic duty and convict as many people as possible

[YellowDog]

I understand that stating you are a KB member is enough to get you let off.

[Skyryder]

I've never been called up ever. Am I black listed


Skyryder

[ajturbo]

Wow! Street sweepers are well paid!

fuck off.. i'm not THAT well paid... i envy those buggers!!!

you will never be out of work....

[sunhuntin]

ive been called up once and got off on grounds of financial hardship. the company i work for is too tight arsed to pay the difference, and the other job im in are short staffed as it is [though i wasnt working there when the letter came]

i agree that the whole jury system should be scrapped and replaced with maybe uni students studying dna, forensics and fbi type stuff. i read tons of true crime, and understand most of the terms like blood spatter, and how decay works etc, but i dont think i understand enough to decide someones fate. and if i dont understand, then how on earth are mills and boon reading soccer moms gonna understand?

[JMemonic]

Some cases should not even have to go before a jury, the example stated in a previous post about a protection order being broken, sorry that one that should be automatic, any thing that has written penalties and can not be reasonably or legally explained bang.

If there is reasonable doubt ie no police were called to the event when the protection order was broken or the are no independent witnesses then it goes to jury trial.

Why should some person who has overwhelming legitimate evidence against then be allowed to get the courts time clogged up, get jury's selected then plead guilty upon entering the court wasting both time and money in our already burdened justice system, that should incur a penalty.

I think cases that go want to go to jury trial should have to go to a panel of judges first with the lawyers getting a maximum of 1 hour each to argue the benefit to society of this case being heard in front of a jury, then if they fail; to make satisfactory cases it can either be decided there and then or go to a trial by judge only, why well lets face it some of those folks who sit on jury's could not be trusted to sit the right way on a toilet set, and bring prejudice with them. Better screening of potential members needs to be better, and harder.

[Ixion]

Why should some person who has overwhelming legitimate evidence against then be allowed to get the courts time clogged up, get jury's selected then plead guilty upon entering the court wasting both time and money in our already burdened justice system, that should incur a penalty.

Trouble is , how do you know the evidence is overwhelming until it's examined. . And judges impose extra penalties usually on somone who pleads guilty at the last moment

I think cases that go want to go to jury trial should have to go to a panel of judges first with the lawyers getting a maximum of 1 hour each to argue the benefit to society of this case being heard in front of a jury, then if they fail; to make satisfactory cases it can either be decided there and then or go to a trial by judge only, why well lets face it some of those folks who sit on jury's could not be trusted to sit the right way on a toilet set, and bring prejudice with them. Better screening of potential members needs to be better, and harder.

Pretty much what happens at present. It's called a depositions hearing. The system is a lot more sophisticated than people assume.