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Author Topic: Have you served on Jury Duty? Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 01-10-2004 01:43 AM                  I think it would be interesting to hear comments on my experience as well as your experiences. I just got off a case that the maximum penalty for the accused was not death... thank God! I would REALLY hate to have to make ***that*** decision about someone. The case I had was really interesting. It lasted 3 days and was in the Los Angeles County Superior Criminal Court just like they say on "Dragnet". I was one of 12 jurors and we had to have an unanimous vote to convict or acquit otherwise we would have been a hung jury. (Yes, I know.... I was THE "hung juror"!) The short version of the trial is basically: This 60-something y/o geezer High School teacher had a bunch of porno pics of underage 13+ y/o boys that he was sharing on the internet. He also had "pornographic" stills and video tapes of these kids ranging in age up to 19 or so in various sex acts. One of the 15 year olds complained to his mom, and then she complained to the school, and then the school to the cops. That spurred an investigation and ultimately an arrest and an indictment. The "evidence" pics and videos were pretty graphic. There was testimony from a couple of the kids as well as several adults. Bottom line: The guy was/is a pedophile and it took about 20 minutes for all of us to vote for conviction. I have no clue as to what the sentence will be. We were released this afternoon and the judge will pronounce that later. We will not know. All in all... VERY interesting... I have never served on a jury before let alone a criminal case. Your thoughts? >>> Phil OBTW: I want to thank Joe in advance for contributing to this thread. [ 01-10-2004, 02:49 PM: Message edited by: Phil Hill ]  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 01-10-2004 02:39 AM                        I have never had jury duty. You may now thank me for contributing to this thread.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 01-10-2004 02:49 AM                        If that counts as a contribution, let me tell you I have never had jury duty myself either. Because where I come from, there is no jury system. A little while after I moved here, there was an invitation to jury duty in my letter box. But it wasn`t for me of course, it was for the guy who lived in the apartment before me! Since I am not a US citizen, I won`t be called for jury duty in the future either. But maybe they plan on having illegal immigrants do jury duty?  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 01-10-2004 04:16 AM                     I haven't served on a jury before either, but that's interesting that you are not told the sentence. It's like watching a movie at a theater with Super platters. You watch damn near the whole movie, then the stupid platter throws the last reel onto the floor and you leave not seeing the ending! (Of course the movie passes are probably worth more $ than the court paid.) Regarding the case, did they establish a history of this through the guy's life, or did he turn pedophile over the last few years?  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 01-10-2004 05:25 AM                        I usually receive a Jury notice every three years. Most of my adult life I lived in "The Bronx" where you received Jury notice every two years. I was called many times but never sat on a regular jury. Since I had members of my family on the NYPD, I was always eliminated from the pool by either the Defense Lawyer or the Prosecutor. In I992 I was called for the Grand Jury, Bronx County which lasted for four weeks, Monday through Thursday from 8AM to 4PM with an hour off for lunch. On this Jury we would deceide if the Prosecutor had enough evidence to indict the perpetraitor. We were a group of 20 and I was the Forman of the group. Most of the cases were drug related, with some robberies, knifings, and murders thrown in. It was extremely interesting as the cases and discussions ensued. It was also interesting to follw the cases as they went through the regular court system.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 01-10-2004 05:53 AM                        I've done jury service once. It was quite a complicated fraud trial. The accused was a landlord who fraudulently claimed social security benefits on behalf of people who weren't entitled to them, and split the proceeds with her 'clients'. There were boxes and boxes of documentation involved, and the trial dragged out for almost two months because the defence tried to get her off by citing very detailed changes to and interpretations of social security legislation to try and prove that she wasn't doing anything wrong. But the bottom line was that she screwed the taxpayer out of almost £800k over a five-year period. It took us less than three hours to convict her, and all we did during those three hours was to go round all twelve jurors, with each of us confirming that we understood the arguments put by each side and the reasons for our decision. She was sentenced to 18 months. I'm glad to have done jury service once (in the UK you only have to do it once, and are then exempt from being called again if you wish to be) just to say I've done it. I was a postgrad student at the time and therefore it didn't disrupt my life too much, but if I'd been trying to hold down some sorts of job I can imagine that it would have made things very difficult.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-10-2004 06:37 AM                        I was called once. It was the most boring day of my life. I arrived at the court house at 8:00am, read three newspapers and half of a book, and then was released in the late afternoon. Then I got called back one year later (which is not supposed to happen for three years) and had to prove that I had served the previous year and thus was ineligible.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-10-2004 08:46 AM                     Since I travel so much they can never catch up with me for Jury duty. By the time I get back in town the case is over..... Mark  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 01-10-2004 09:04 AM                     I served once. It was a breaking and entering case where the homeowner arrived home at ten o'clock and found a man in the house, she got a very quick glonce at him as he ran out the back door. The accused was found walking on the street several blocks away about an hour later. In court, when the woman was shown photos of the man taken shortly after his arrest she said "that looks like him". It took us about 3 minutes to accquit. If she had said "that's him" he would be in jail, but "looks like him" was not good enough to convict.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-10-2004 10:36 AM                       quote: Most of my adult life I lived in "The Bronx" Bob, just the person I wanted to ask... what is the origin of that city name? And, why is it called THE Bronx, why not just Bronx? When they put it like that, it sounds like an upper-respiratory ailment. I drive through there on the Cross Bronx every day, and have always wondered about that name.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 01-10-2004 11:32 AM                        I've been called once in California and twice in Nevada. Got out of serving in Nevada both times by claiming economic hardship, something that used to be very easy to do here (took just a phone call). And the economic hardship was true--the hotel/casinos did not pay jury duty for hourly workers. At the time I was working at the LV Hilton--their entertainment director's policy was simple--getting impaneled on a jury meant termination. Nowadays the rules are similar to California's, meaning it is much harder to make that claim. Don't know if the hotels have to pay their hourly workers for jury time nowadays--the pay one gets from the court wouldn't even cover downtown parking fees, let alone one's time. In California I got called for duty in Santa Monica (Los Angeles Superior Court I think--I lived in Hawthorne at the time). Had just resigned from Hughes Aircraft so I had the time. Actually made it into the box on one trial, but was dismissed by the defense team (I think they didn't like my 3-piece suit). I'll never forget the look on the prosecutor's face when my name got read--I think he was counting on having me in there. Never had to physically go back to the courthouse after that. Instead I just had to call in to their jury pool each morning for the next two weeks. That was it. In California you can be called to serve again after two years. My boss at PanAmSat in Long Beach got called and served twice in San Pedro during the almost three years I was there. PanAmSat pays for jury duty of salaried employees. In Nevada we say every accused is guaranteed a fair trial--followed by a fair hangin'!  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 01-10-2004 11:57 AM                        I've served several times, but never made it to a panel. I filled out the questionnaire, and made it to the pre-trial jury interviews, and was dismissed each time. For one trial of a DWI (driving while intoxicated), they asked me if I had ever been guilty of a traffic violation. When I replied that I have had two speeding tickets (in over 30 years of driving), I was immediately dismissed from that jury.  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 01-10-2004 12:01 PM                     I have been summoned, but seeing how I am a full time student I just send in the paper and check student. Maybe college is worth it  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 01-10-2004 01:06 PM                        As I found out, being a student is no exemption. If anything it gives you less of an excuse. I did read a feature article a few months back arguing that recruiting juries is becoming more of a problem. Basically, responsible professionals are getting better at arguing their way out of it with the result that juries - especially those for long and complicated trials - are increasingly consisting of students, the unemployed and the retired. The article called on a crackdown on exemptions for people such as teachers, doctors, lawyers, armed forces officers and other white collar professionals and also on some employers who make life difficult for people to do jury service, so that juries would become more representative.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 01-10-2004 01:10 PM                  quote: …but that's interesting that you are not told the sentence… I think they do that cuz if you know before hand that some smuck could serve 100 years for having a 800 pounds of 420, then that knowledge might influence your vote rather than the evidence itself. Also, in that type of case, they send in the shrinks and social workers for the sentencing portion and it has nothing to do with the original trial portion. If I was really interested I could find out. I'm sure it would be part of the public record. Juror's names and personal info are NOT part of the public record. We weren't allowed to talk to ANYONE about the trial, during the trial…even other jurors. The news media were not allowed to show our faces in or out of court. quote: …did they establish a history of this through the guy's life… No, nothing but evidence directly related to that case was allowed. quote: …It was the most boring day of my life… Yeah, it is if you don't bring a good book to read. I've been called several times over the years and have made it to a few panels before, but this was the 1st time I made it to a trial. It was really interesting. quote: …did but "looks like him" was not good enough to convict… Gosh, it sounds like that case reeked of poor police and prosecution work. Wasn't there any physical evidence like fingerprints, or "loot" etc.? About 15 years ago, my apartment was busted into and they took all my Nikon cameras/lenses, VCRs, camcorders, etc. The cops covered my place with that blackish print powder and "dusted" for prints. (Yes, I had to clean it up… the bastards!) The detectives questioned me at length as to what was going on in my life before the burglary. They wanted to know who all was at my place for months before hand, …friends, repair people, etc. They caught the guys. Local pizza delivery dudes would case someone's place during a delivery and then come back sometime later for a "pickup". quote: …In California you can be called to serve again after two years… Actually they changed that law a few years ago. You can be called again after 1 year. Once you get your summons to serve, you call in for a recorded message to hear if you must report for "cattle call" the next morning. If you are not called within 5 days to report, you have "served your time". If you are called to report and make it thru the day without getting assigned a trial, you are also considered to have served. Under the old system, you HAD to report the 1st day and then were "on-call" for 10 days. BTW: For your "time and travel", starting the 2nd day, they pay you $15 a day and 32 cents a mile…one way. Since I live about 7 miles from the courthouse, I really cleaned up! I'm gonna go to Pinks and get a hotdog! >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged

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