Jury Duty has finally come to an end.
I know that I've always been intrigued by the process of a court room and the job of being on a jury. My dad has managed to receive more jury summons than I can count, and I on the other hand, had only received one before this. One that I managed to get my way out of when I was in my student teaching program.
With so many shows like CSI and Law & Order, our society has been extremely misled on the types of evidence that are actually used in court cases, and the availability of evidence. In fact, our society has become so reliant on an "instant fix" that sometimes the common sense in us is gone.
Back on Jan. 25th I was summoned to the court house. Along with 125 other people, I checked in, and took my seat in the courtroom. The judge came in and told us that we would all be considered for a criminal case. He mentioned the job of the jurors, the responsibility that they would hold, and the curiosity he holds in the whole process of being a juror, since he's never been able to be a part of one. While listening to all of this, I had managed to find my way next to 2 other school teachers, a preschool teacher, and the father of one of my co-workers. Small town. So we listened, and made small talk when we could. The judge then asked if there were any people who would be placed into an IMPOSSIBLE situation if theY were picked for the jury. As one would guess, about 1/3 of the group raised their hands. The teachers and I all looked at each other, knowing that while it would be the biggest pain in the rear to have to come up with sub plans, it was definitely not IMPOSSIBLE. ugh. The judge then dismissed the rest of us, and told those who had impossible situations, that the attorneys would spend that day interviewing them to decide how impossible their situation really was. At that point I had a feeling I was on my way down a long road, that these attorneys were going to be picky and they meant business.
So, day 2; Again, those of us who were left, appeared back at the courthouse. This time we were brought into a smaller room, still, there were barely enough seats to hold all of us. The judge appeared, the attorneys appeared, and the defendant appeared. The court room got silent as we waited for the judge to talk. He read the charges; Murder, Attempted Murder and Furtherance of a gang. Feel the deep pit in your stomach? That's what I felt; Times 1 million. The judge clearly described the charges, what that meant for the defendant, and what the job of the jurors would entail. He then told us all to expect the process to take up to February 10th. Mind you, we were sitting there on Jan. 26th. A long process.
So the court reporter called out 12 names to fill the jurors box. 12 people went into the seats and the questioning began. I will admit, if I had been part of this 1st group of people my knees would have been shaking. It was nice at this point, to be sitting in the audience listening to all of the questions that the attorney's were asking, thinking about how intimidating it is that the defendant is actually sitting in the courtroom and watching the whole process take place, and thinking about how I would answer each one IF I were called up. And on day 3, I was. :( At this point there were 12 people in the jury box, and they called 5 of us, I knew that they were just looking for their alternate, so I was not concerned in the least. And then it happened...one of the attorneys dismissed one of the jurors and I was next in line. So as my luck would have it, I was put in juror seat #7. And I was never dismissed. When the judge made is announcement, "All right Ladies & Gentlemen, you are our official jury." I just about wanted to melt right there. Seriously? Why can't I have this kind of luck when it comes to winning the lottery or something???! Honestly.
So for the next week and a half, we listened, and listened and listened as witness after witness was called to the stand. Let me tell you, the word "witness" has an extremely misleading title. I have ALWAYS thought that a witness was someone who saw what happened. Well, not the case. A witness is just someone who has some information. Some of the witnesses were helpful in giving information about the case, while others were no more than a big waste of time. Now let me tell you, this is where the case became extremely difficult. Most of the people who were called to offer up some information were less than "classy," if you know what I mean. Remember that we were dealing with gang members and their friends...So it was really hard to decide what information I was going to consider credible, when the witnesses were testifying about knowing the defendant from doing drugs together, or being locked up together. It was tough. I'm not saying that I didn't believe anything they were saying, but believing that while they were using drugs, 7 years ago, they could clearly remember conversations that happened, I found hard to believe. I mean, think back to where you were 7 years ago today...can you remember what you were doing? What exact words were used in a specific conversation? Who was in the room with you? What people were wearing? Where you went? What car you were in? Which streets you drove down at a specific time??? I know I can't...and I was SOBER!!!
Needless to say, the deliberations took a whole week themselves. We talked and talked and talked and talked. All to end up at a hung jury. I will admit that I was a little bit disappointed that we could not come to a decision together...BUT I also felt a huge relief. The entire trial we were all worried about the gang life, and if it would become a problem for us as a jury. I know that sounds like we were living in paranoia...but when both sides of the gangs are sitting in the court room, looking at the jury panel, watching opposing members or former gang members testify, you know they are watching out for something. And though it did NOT affect my vote in the deliberations, I will admit that I was more than concerned about retaliations that may have come our way.
So, just like that, it was over. We were allowed to talk with both attorneys after the trial, which did offer some closure. But I can tell you that the relief I felt walking out of there was huge. I have NEVER been so excited to return to work before. I just wanted to be back in my safe little bubble. The safety of my home, the safety of my school, and be surrounded by all of the innocence in a 1st grade classroom. It kills me to think that all of the people we heard from were 1st graders at some point in their lives, they were all someone's child. If anything, this has helped me remember that while I have been blessed to come from a loving family, not all kids are; So when my kiddos need an extra hug in the middle of a math lesson, I'll give it to them. Or if they want to stay in the classroom at recess to tell me all about their new toy, I'll listen. Because they may not be getting what they need at home. And if I got anything from this experience, it's that most of these people got into these horrible situations because they just wanted someone to show them respect and feel accepted. If I can do that in my classroom, and be a safe place for my students, then I will.
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