How many here have sat on a criminal jury?

[kentuck]

I just returned from two days on a jury deliberating on an ID theft case. It was the first time I have ever been chosen to sit on a jury and it was quite an experience.

[livetohike]

1. A couple of decades ago, I served on a jury for a rape case

We deliberated for 2.5 days and I came home with a migraine after each day. It was my first and only (so far) jury experience. It was an eye opener. Oh and we were a hung jury at the end of it all.

[phantom power]

2. I sat on one. It was a border-patrole incident near Yuma, AZ.

[Mythsaje]

3. I had to beg off last year because of work...

I didn't want to, but the wife insisted. What's even worse is that she had just gotten to participate in a murder trial, so it seemed REALLY unfair. But her job pays her for jury duty and mine doesn't, so that mitigates the unfair aspect a bit.

[Dr_Willie_Feelgood]

4. Drug Trial

I served on a trial of two members of the so called "Chaldean Mafia" in Metro Detroit.

That was a frightening experience. We had armed excorts to the parking lot, and years later, while researching the case in the net, I found out exactly why. These were people who didn't play around.

With 99 kilos of cocaine brought in as evidence, you can believe there were some VERY stern / nervous looking deputies in the courtroom.

[frazzled]

5. I missed getting put on a Murder One jury last year

I was trembling throughout the voir dire, because I didn't think I could sit on a first-degree murder case (even though it was not death penalty). Fortunately, they filled the jury just before my panel was called. Whew.

Something tells me, though, that the case was pretty cut and dried, because the judge was asking people about their availability for only four days or so.

[Joanie Baloney]

6. I have.

It was very interesting. A 5 day trial for burglary. We found the man guilty and it turns out we were one of the first cases to qualify for the 3 strikes law here in California. Which meant he was automatically screwed and given a lonnng sentence. One of the jurors wanted to find him innocent to "thwart" the 3 strikes thing, but he was so guilty, it just wouldn't have been right. Another interesting sidelight was the fingerprint testinony from a communtiy service officer - which are kind of like interns with the SDPD - they can't do a bunch of stuff, but can dust for prints after their training. We never heard the results of the prints during the trial and thought that was very odd. After the case was decided, we had the opportunity to ask the lawyers questions. We asked what the deal was with the fingerprints...and sheepishly, the lawyers told us that the "intern" had lifted very good prints from the crime scene...but they were of his own fingers!! Apparently he touched stuff without gloves on and then dusted his own prints.

Dumbfuck.

-JB

[ieoeja]

15. Maybe you should have just found him guilty of two of the charges.

The vast majority of first time offenders never see the inside of jail a second time which is one of the things what makes the 3-Strikes laws particularly draconian.

Or was this a case where he had a couple prior convictions so even a conviction on the one charge would have put him over the limit?

[Joanie Baloney]

25. He had 2 prior convictions

and it turns out we weren't supposed to know that. But, the law was new and I think it slipped out. So, our guilty verdict was his 3rd strike.

-JB

[On the Road]

7. A Couple of Years Ago

I sat on a jury for a teen who had been in his brother's car which contained an illegal weapon. No evidence of actual complicity or even knowledge. We let him off. (The judge said off-record that he agreed with the verdict.) It was indeed an experience and the racially mixed jury didn't really have a problem coming up with the verdict.

[Journeyman]

8. The trial I sat for had a surprise, mystery witness who confessed to the crime in open court. . .

Very Perry Mason-ish.

This was 26 years ago, when items were still tagged with a sticker in the store.

The defense was accused of switching a price tag on a VHS player. The surprise witness was his roommate, who confessed to making the switch without his friend's knowledge. We knew both were guilty, but the way the judge presented our instructions for deliberations we had to find the original defendant innocent. The prosecutor told us later the confessor would probably not be tried, as he could claim someone else had been accused of the crime already and found innocent. Given the low stakes involved, it was doubtful anything more would be done on that case.

A most unsatisfactory experience. It was my first and only time on a jury (a personal incident occurred years later that will forever preclude me from sitting on another case, as I now refuse to participate in a judicial system I consider both incompetent and corrupt).

[JimWis]

9. I have, many years back. Sat for 3 trials. One was assault and

battery. He was found guilty and I remember at the end of the trial, the jurors had to walk out of the court room a different way, so he couldn't look directly at our faces. Also did a robbery and a drunk driving. Your right - it was quite an experience. Glad I did it.

[Betsy Ross]

10. I was on a drunk driving jury 30+ years ago.

I just escaped jury duty this morning. Somehow, we get called every year or two.

Added on edit: I was among possible jurors on a gristly murder case. Filling out the 30 page questionnaire, I answered innumerable questions in gigantic print "NO DEATH PENAlTY." They still made me come back and sit through the entire procedure while they excused individual jurors. What a waste of time that was.

[KansDem]

11. About 20 years ago I sat on a child neglect case...

The mother had taken the father to civil court a couple of times but the father refused to pay child support. So he was taken to criminal court.

It was an eye-opening experience for me. First off, half the jurors wanted to finish up early enough to avoid the rush hour--never mind if we hadn't really deliberated thoroughly; secondly, there was one older gentleman who kept saying over and over, "He's guilty! I know his type!"

It was a long afternoon and I felt like Henry Fonda in "12 Angry Men."

I decided right then and there never put myself in a situation where I'd be "tried by my own peers..."

[corpseratemedia]

12. murder

One of the cases that helped change how police treat domestic violence victims where I live.

[SPedigrees]

13. I've sat on 2. One was a sequestered murder trial.

Both were back in the late 1970s and the murder trial was the experience of a lifetime.

The other trial was a kid accused of breaking and entering by a smug city cop who didn't bother to collect evidence, just figured his presence as a law enforcement officer would convince the jury. It didn't and we acquitted. Maybe the experience inspired him to do better police work in subsequent years, but who knows.

We acquitted the defendant in the murder trial too, but the facts were much more complex, and the arresting officers were state boys with a higher level of professionalism and integrity.

The experience taught me that it might be a good idea to spend some time as an observer in the courtroom to become acquainted with the efficacy of the various local criminal defense attorneys in case one ever needs the services of one. There is a wide range of proficiency and ineptitude amongst them.

[Glorfindel]

14. I have - several times.

You're right; QUITE an experience each time. I have also served on civil juries, grand juries, and once on a coroner's jury to determine a cause of death.

[kentuck]

16. The case we decided today...

had some interesting side parts. The identity that was stolen was a badge and credit card and other identities belonging to a lady that worked in juvenile detention. She was able to stop her card in less than 10 minutes but there were still two charges on it. But they had no video evidence from the two places where the card was used.

A month or two ago, the cops were looking for a murder suspect so they got a search warrant for a specific residence. They had kicked the door down but they never found the murder suspect at that time but they did find several instances of identity theft, including the identity card of the lady that lost it several months ago. A young detective testified that he had moved a two-drawer file cabinet in the front room closet in the defendant's home and found a manila envelope with the fraudulent IDs in it. That was the evidence in the case.

The DA argued that it was a joke that the brother, the murder suspect, had tried to play on the defendant. Since it happened, the brother that had fled to Chicago, had been captured and was the main witness for the defendant.

The brother was brought into the court room in his orange suit and shackles and swore to tell the truth. He said that he did it. He put his brother's picture on the ID card, since he already had a stolen badge, it would make him look more official. But it was pretty obvious he was covering for his brother.

After the verdict, the judge came in and gave each juror a certificate of appreciation. And the DA came in to talk with each of us to see if there was anything he could have done different. He admitted that the testimony of the "brother" was not what he had expected, since they had gone over the details several times before.

[quiller4]

17. I sat on a federal grand jury for 18 mo. Because there is so

much federal land in our state, we heard a wide variety of cases--everything from larceny by check at the Ft. Lewis PX to murder in a federal prison.

[Avalux]

18. I sat on a jury for child sexual abuse.

Stepfather was on trial; 9 year old little boy got on the witness stand and described in detail all the things that man did to him. It was sad and horrific and that little boy was so very brave. We gave the guy 50 years (in Texas, he'd be out in a third of that).

After it was all over, we were informed there were 6 other children involved with the mother and grandmother convicted of abuse as well. So - my case was just one of many for this unfortunate family. :(

Yes, quite an experience.

[goclark]

19. I've been a Jury Consultant for Criminal Trials

Very interesting perspective when you are working for the one everyone thinks is automatically guilty.

[flvegan]

20. I've sat on two.

One was for a drug offense (buying from an undercover cop) and the other was for assault with a deadly weapon.

[Shrek]

21. Three times.

Civil lawsuit once.

Jury foreman twice.

[Boomerang Diddle]

22. I have - twice, and I loved it!

it was fascinating and I really felt good about myself for doing the right thing.

[Obamanaut]

23. I was rejected the one time I've been called, because I'm retired

military and was working as a correctional officer in a prison at the time. I guess they thought I'd be harsh.

[FloriTexan]

24. 5 day Murder trial...

Black murder victim - homeless living in crack house run by hispanics, clearly killed by one of the hispanic men a couple of hispanic men in a crack house. More interesting than the case itself was the jurors who did not want to be there. The black people on the jury and the hispanic people on the jury HATED each other and the hispanics felt that the black guy probably deserved it and for that should get minimum sentence if at all, the black man felt that the hispanics were just thugs and wanted the death penalty. A couple of people didn't want to be there at all and would vote anyway they could to just get to go home. It was a nightmare trying to mediate the racism and get to the truth. Very enlightening and I would do it again.

[abumbyanyothername]

28. Not wanting to be there

why isn't this a sufficient excuse?

Because it happens. I was one of those people . . . not in a murder case, but in a drunk driving case that was obviously 3rd offense or something (because it went to trial). I felt the guy was guilty but I was not going to waste time standing up to the flawless logic that proved him innocent (in the eyes of another juror).

The police officer's testimony indicates that he is guilty. LA Police officers always lie (never mind that these were California Highway Patrol officers). Therefore he is innocent.

Too stupid to be discussed.

[FloriTexan]

29. I'm not sure I understand your post....

are you saying its okay to give a half-ass effort as a juror by going along with someone else's flawed logic because it was a waste of your time to be there? Why is it "too stupid to be discussed?"

[abumbyanyothername]

30. The case was a misdemeanor

and yes I am saying that there are plenty of people who want to be jurors. Let them do it.

It was obvious to me that Ms. Stupid was not going to be convinced no matter what I did. The lawyers in the case, on both sides, seemed like they were trying their first case. Neither spent any time preparing (I am a lawyer, so it was obvious to me). The lawyers put me on the jury, and I am the guy with such a low tolerance for frustration that I will cave to people as stupid as the juror in question. So the lawyers got what they bargained for in me.

Why not hire a rotating professional class of juror? It's not like we have to pay them six figures or anything. Maybe something a little above minimum wage.

As a lawyer, I happen to not be a big believer in the jury system. I think it leads to more bad decisions than the abuses it was implemented to avoid.

By the way . . . the original version of a jury of your peers, was twelve members of the community who, from their experience outside the court, ALREADY KNEW THE FACTS OF THE CASE. How far are we removed from that now?

[FloriTexan]

31. You are a lawyer and you have such disdain....

Truly, I am shocked! As a legal secretary who has worked in criminal, family and corporate, I am in disbelief that you seem to have no idea how important that jury's decision is to the defendant. It shouldn't matter what degree the crime was or that it was some non-criminal issue. I hope you never need a jury or jury member to care about any of your cases or that you ever find yourself a plaintiff or defendant in need of a jury who cares.

[abumbyanyothername]

32. If my perspective had been

that the accused were innocent, and the stupidity trend were toward conviction, I would have taken a stand.

I stand by my comment that more injustice has been perpetrated by juries than was ever the output of a non-jury system.

[FloriTexan]

34. I cannot disagree with that comment...

not after the jury I served on, but that made it more important to me to fight to do the right thing with my peers on the jury.

[Scout]

26. i have. it was very interesting experience for me as well.

i never understood why so many people try to avoid jury duty.

i've been called i think three times, and was chosen once. the case was attempted murder of an undercover police officer in a drug bust.

[trof]

27. Drug possession (2 cases), attempted murder, and 2 DUIs.

Fascinating, all.

[joeybee12]

33. I did...a real eye-opener because the prosecution was so inept...

...common sense things she didn't do...she may have been just out of law school, but it was sad becasue the guy ws probably guilty. also, we were excused once and had to sit right outside while the judge deliberated with the attorneys, and two cops came and stood right by us and talked about the case, and about how big of a rap sheet this guy had...wasn't sure if they were stupid or smart, doing it intentionally because they wanted us to know and this sort of stuff wasn't admissable in the trial.