NHS Students Learn The History and Importance Of Jury Duty

By Eliza Hallabeck

Students in Newtown High School’s Lecture Hall on Thursday, November 12, told visitors to the school, Shari DeLuca and Jammy Davis of the state Jury Administration, that jury duty is long, boring, and no one likes it.

Ms DeLuca agreed that most people feel the same way, but began the presentation by describing some of the history behind jury duty.

“It has been a very short period of time actually,” said Ms DeLuca, “that we have had the ability to participate in the decisionmaking process.”

She asked the students how many of them would be excited to partake in jury duty if they were asked to, given what they know before the presentation fully began. Two students out of the class raised their hands.

Original laws written in Connecticut, she said, in 1636, included one that said if a person did not believe in God they would be put to death. Simple, death, she said.

With trials today, it is not that simple. In some cases all of the information may not be known, she said.

There are three possible outcomes from a trial, said Ms DeLuca; guilty, not guilty, and a mistrial.

“Would you rather see a guilty person be set free or an innocent person go to jail?” said Ms DeLuca. Students had mixed responses, but after a few moments responded by saying they would rather see a guilty person be set free.

A person charged with a crime has the right to a trial before a judge or one in front of jury, said Ms DeLuca.

“You shall enjoy, darn it, the right to a fair trial,” said Ms DeLuca, while explaining the sixth amendment to the United States Constitution.

While Connecticut will give an infraction to a person who misses jury duty, she said, other states will do more.

Last year, she said, there were 150,000 court cases in the state, and less of 1,000 of those trials went before a jury.

“Serving as a juror is serving at one of the highest levels of the court of law,” said Ms DeLuca.

She explained that as officers of the court, Ms DeLuca and Ms Davis helped to compile a master list of possible jurors each year. That master list comes from four different sources, and compiled on the list are names of people who are eligible to be members of a jury. The list of registered voters adds to the master list, along with the list of register drivers from the Department of Motor Vehicles, a list of people from the Department of Revenue Services, and anyone who files for unemployment with the Department of Labor are also added to the list. Part of Ms DeLuca’s and Ms Davis’s jobs are to go through the list and take out any duplications.

Last year 600,000 people received the summons for jury duty in the state of Connecticut, and, Ms DeLuca said, 500,000 of those people utilized the right to not go. People have one year they can use to postpone, but, when it is almost up, they will be notified of having to attend.

Ms DeLuca asked the students if they were arrested, would that mean they were guilty? No, she answered, it would mean they had allegedly committed the crime, and were innocent until proven guilty.

“A lot of people do not believe that,” said Ms DeLuca. “A lot of people believe that if someone got arrested, then they are guilty.”

She said it must not be a good feeling to be accused of something the person did not commit.