In the late 1990’s I was summoned for jury duty. It was with a criminal court. You do six months time or six trials, whichever comes first. I was a Tuesday juror and went once a week. I really wanted the arson trial as I felt I could be impartial. With the armed robbery trial I knew one of the police officers that was going to testify, and I was disqualified. I ended up getting the two counts of statutory rape of a person under 14. It was hell. They put two children on the stand to testify.
After that I wasn’t selected for any trials and finished my six months.
The the USA you are innocent until proven guilty in a trial where fellow citizens sit on a jury and find the person innocent or guilty. There are also Civil trials where someone is suing someone. Not criminal.
I don’t remember if I was on medication or not. I was uninsured, sometimes getting psychiatric Meds from a regular doctor. I wasn’t under regular psychiatric care back then. My mom usually had to pay for it which I didn’t like, and usually wouldn’t go to the doctor. There was a general practitioner in a small town outside the city that would write me prescriptions. In Arkansas you have to be declared mentally incompetent by a court of appropriate jurisdiction in order to not be allowed to vote. If you vote your subject to jury duty. Everybody tries to get out of it, and this judge wasn’t allowing many excuses.
If it should happen again the lawyers will probably disqualify me. If you previously found someone guilty, the defense lawyer doesn’t want you. If you previously found someone innocent, the prosecutor doesn’t want you. They like inexperienced jurors.
Well, I wasn’t out of line. Eleven jurors including me voted guilty and one voted not guilty, on the initial vote. We spent 3 or 4 hours trying to convince the one juror he was guilty. Eventually she changed to guilty.
I wasn’t sure until I heard the children testify. They put the children on the stand last. There wasn’t much of a defense.
I’ve been summoned twice but they didn’t pick my number so I didn’t have to go. From now on I will get a note from my doc to excuse me from it. I would be a hot mess trying to concentrate on a case!
The main thing that got to me was there was no smoking in the courtroom. I used a nicotine patch but started craving a smoke. The morning session of the trial lasted four hours. Then there was lunch break. Then after lunch it was a hour maybe, then we were in the jurors’ room 3 or 4 hours trying to reach a verdict.
My Mom served as a juror on the trial of a man who tortured and killed a gay man, even though she knew at the time I was gay, and she had two gay friends that I knew about.
With capital punishment trials they put each juror on the stand, and both lawyers question them. She still served on the jury.
They keep asking and I keep dodging it. I tell them I have SZ and that my voices will know who is guilty, I don’t actually need to pay attention. Works like a damn every time. Make sure you keep giving the defence lawyer Crazee Eyes to be on the safe side.