NCJ Number
152427
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This video portrays some of the reforms in juror usage and management achieved in three county courts under grants from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration.
Abstract
The video opens with a dramatization of how the grant program for juror usage and management began with a 1-year "Acorn" grant to a researcher who had been called for jury duty and observed the wasted time and resources involved in the procedures of juror management. The video then shows how the research from this grant expanded into grants to three county courts, which used the grants to improve their juror use and management procedures. The juror management procedures portrayed were developed in Harris County (Houston), Tex., Middlesex County (Cambridge), Mass., and Dane County (Madison), Wis. The Harris County reforms are contrasted with the previous lengthy, labor- intensive, and costly procedures of juror selection previously used. The new computerized system eliminates all typing and checking and requires only 45 minutes of computer time once a year. The video also profiles one of the grant products, "Guide to Jury System Management." The video profiles actual juror procedures in the three courts, including juror orientation, the elimination of exemptions, and negotiation with individual prospective jurors regarding the scheduling of their jury service.