I had the privilege to be on a jury in Broward County, Florida and it was one of the most exciting and fascinating experiences I've ever had. As an experience, I loved it. It was a serious criminal matter tragically affecting the lives of a dozen people. The details aren't important here. I was in court for eight days and the time flew by. It was exhausting but, at the same time, wonderfully satisfying.
Many people talk about dodging jury duty. Everyone had an angle for me to use to get out of it. My advice, don't avoid it. Definitely do it. When the judge asked if anyone wanted to be on the jury, I raised my hand. I volunteered. I can understand if you have travel problems, if you're worried how the time away from your job is going to affect your income, or if you have family responsibilities, but just to avoid it is dumb. Besides being your civic duty (someone has to do this so we can live in a secure society) it's totally real, not some TV courtroom with actors. The events are real. The emotion is real. The judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, defendant, witnesses, jurors, bailiffs, and all people in the courtroom are human beings participating in the wonder of our country's magnificent justice system. I am so impressed with the high quality of work that everyone did. Everyone was prepared...but the jury. I had no idea how intense an experience I was entering. It was great. There was a lot of joking throughout the whole trial. You have to have some relief because once the work starts, it's all business and everyone's intently focused on the evidence and the testimony, and even more important, did I trust the testimony.
First of all, the beauty is in the equality that no one person is responsible for the outcome. The police see a possible crime and make an arrest. Then the prosecution has the burden of proof to prepare and present a case that proves the responsibility of the defendant. The defendant, presumed innocent, has a lawyer to defend against the charges. The jury then must decide, beyond a reasonable doubt, if the prosecution has proved its case. And the judge is the law and manages the courtroom accordingly. It's a wonder of justice where everyone must dig deep into the truth of their own thoughts to decide whether the case is proved or not and if the defendant will be released or lose his freedom and go to jail. There was joking in the court and in the jury room, but never at an inappropriate time. Everybody knew the stakes, and no one wanted to make a mistake.
All of us on the jury accepted our job with the purposefulness, sincerity, and integrity it deserved. We spoke for the victim and we spoke for the law. We bonded and we came to a verdict. A letter carrier, a retired stockbroker, a working student, a CEO of a corporation, an office manager, a saleswoman, a tech geek, an office worker, a young man starting a business, a furniture factory supervisor, some others, and me. We were a great group. I love them all. We accepted the responsibility and did the work. We deliberated nine hours and came up with a verdict. We found the defendant guilty. Our job was done.
I was so stressed out that I missed my exit on the way home. The next morning I almost got into an accident because I wasn't paying attention. I was a basket case for two days and it was another three days before all the emotion burned off. But it was great, and if you ever have an opportunity to participate as a player in the justice system, don't waste it. It'll be one of the most important things you ever do and give you stories for a lifetime.
