NCJ Number
64323
Date Published
1979
Length
12 pages
Annotation
A SUMMARY IS PRESENTED OF A PROJECT FOCUSING ON THE IDENTIFICATION AND RESOLUTION OF JURY SYSTEM PROBLEMS THROUGH THE USE OF SELECTED TEST SITES AS EXPERIMENTAL ENTITIES IN FLORIDA.
Abstract
THE FOUR JURY SYSTEM OBJECTIVES ADOPTED BY THE STUDY WERE TO MAXIMIZE THE RESPONSIVENESS OF THE JURY SYSTEMS TO THE COURT'S NEED FOR JURORS, MAXIMIZE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND MINIMIZE JUROR INCONVENIENCE, MINIMIZE THE ECONOMIC BURDEN ON THE INDIVIDUAL, AND MINIMIZE JURY SYSTEMS COST. THE STUDY WAS AN EXERCISE IN APPLIED RESEARCH. METHODOLOGY INCLUDED GATHERING AND ANALYZING DATA IN SELECTED FLORIDA COURTS, IDENTIFYING AND IMPLEMENTING MEANS OF REDUCING PROBLEMS, MONITORING AND ANALYZING MODIFIED SYSTEMS, AND DISTRIBUTING RESULTS TO OTHER COURTS. ANALYSES SHOWED THAT ONLY 28 PERCENT OF THE PERSONS ON JURY SERVICE WHO WERE SAMPLED HAD EVER PREVIOUSLY SERVED ON JURY DUTY. PERSON 55 YEARS OF OLDER WERE THE MOST FREQUENTLY REPRESENTED AGE GROUP. MALES AND FEMALES WERE EQUALLY REPRESENTED. ONE-STEP SUMMONING, WITHOUT THE PREQUALIFICATION STEP, PRODUCED AS MANY OR MORE POTENTIAL JURORS THAN THE TWO-STEP PROCESS. THE USE OF FIRST CLASS MAIL TO DISTRIBUTE SUMMONS PRODUCED YIELDS OF JURORS COMPARABLE TO CERTIFIED MAIL YIELDS. POTENTIAL JURORS WERE NOT PROVIDED WITH SUFFICIENT INFORMATION EITHER PRIOR TO OR AFTER REPORTING FOR SERVICE. NO NOTABLE DIFFERENCE IN OPERATING EFFICIENCY EXISTED BETWEEN A JURY POOL SYSTEM AND A NONJURY POOL SYSTEM IN THE STUDY COURTS. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD FOCUS ON THE FEASIBILITY OF THE USE OF ALTERNATE OR MULTIPLE JUROUR SOURCE LISTS, THE PERFORMANCE OF REGIONAL WORKSHOPS OR TRAINING SEMINARS ON THE PRACTICE OF GOOD JURY MANAGEMENT, AND THE PROVISION OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON JUROR MANAGEMENT AS REQUESTED BY TRIAL COURTS. TABULAR INFORMATION IS PROVIDED. (LWM)