Jury improvements

Improvements in summoning the jury pool

Here are common recommendations relating to summoning the jury pool:

• Use more source lists than just the typical ones (registered voters and licensed drivers).
• Eliminate exemptions from jury service.
• Use better means to update address databases so that fewer summonses are non-deliverable.
• Make more vigorous efforts to impose penalties on those who ignore the summonses.
• Make the summons documents less intimidating and more informative.
   

Jury experience improvements

Some of the common suggestions for improving the experience of those responding to summonses include:

• Increase pay and mileage reimbursement for those who respond to the summonses.
• Make courthouse facilities more pleasant, and provide more amenities like work stations, parking, and child care.
• Reduce the length of jury service, as by adopting a “one-day/one trial” system (in which a summoned person fulfills his/her duty by either appearing for one day and not being chosen to sit on a jury, or by being chosen and sitting as a juror for one trial).
• Provide an easy call-in or on-line mechanism for summoned persons to postpone their service.
• Provide better orientation materials.
   

Jury selection improvements

Here is a list of common reforms suggested for the jury selection process:

• Use standard questionnaires in every case to gather more information from the venirepersons in order to shorten voir dire.
• Allow attorneys to make mini-opening statements before voir dire to help venirepersons focus on the issues in the case.
• Reduce the number of, or eliminate peremptory challenges.
• More vigorously enforce the constitutional prohibition of peremptory challenges exercised on the bases of race, ethnicity, and gender.
• Allow venirepersons the option of responding to potentially embarrassing questions in the judge’s chambers rather than in open court.