Jury Duty. The dreaded post card in the mail. The searches on the internet "How to get out of".
Except for me. I would really like to be on a jury. I believe what the judge says when she talks about how important it is for regular people to help make decisions about civil and criminal decisions. It is important. So I showed up on Tuesday at the jury room in Ventura.
Trapped at the government center, I jostle for a space where I can plug in my pc and actually get some work done. Way too noisy in here. So I wait. They won't give the password for the internet until after we've watched the same movie I've watched every year. It shows "average citizens" who rave about how important it is that I do my civic duty. I know this, just send me up to a courtroom so I can do it!
Wait. Finally, 25 people are called upstairs to a courtroom. Not me. After 30 minutes, all but two of them are back in the waiting room - they only needed two alternates for a jury that was already picked.
I wait some more. Finally, it's lunch time. I eat pale watery pea soup at the cafeteria. Go for a walk to burn off energy. Go wait some more. Only 4 more hours to go!
Well, you get the picture. I never did get picked to go to a courtroom, much less get on a jury. And there were 198 people who didn't get picked either. 198 people, including me, who wasted a day sitting and waiting on the whim of a judge.
Why is this repeated, day after day, yearly??? Inconvenience 200 people a day in every county courthouse in the state? Why do we allow the government to run this way? That's a lot of interrupted work, life and wasted time.
Does someone have a solution? I've tried the calling in every evening route - my number always gets called in, and it's worse because then I can't pick which specific day - it's all up to the judges in the courtroom. So I end up trying to get work done all week, being distracted by the impending "you need to show up tomorrow" phone message. I know some people totally ignore the postcard in the mail - if the county can't prove you received it, how can they penalize you?
But I want to do what is right. So why does it have to be a total waste of my mind and time? Do I have a solution? No. Does someone else? How can the system be changed to serve needs, but not drive 200 people a day to total frustration?
If you've got a solution, I'll gladly rally for a change.
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