If you are one of the Americans who dodge jury duty, you may be the target
of fed-up judges who are calling jury dodgers to their courts for admonishment,
fines, and threats of jail time, the Associated Press reports.
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Download NowLast year in New York County, 1,443 jury dodgers received $250 fines, according
to the news service. In California, a judge recently fined serial dodgers. The
judge said the fines would be dropped if the individuals serve.
Some of the individuals who duck serving say they cannot afford to miss work
to serve on a jury.
"My husband's in the hospital for a year. ... I have a certain amount
of hours I have to" work, said Darlene Acevedo, who received a deferral
until September. "I don't have the time. Right now the way I feel, I can't
be a juror."
The news service notes that summonses generally have a low response rate. The
Los Angeles County court system, for example, received responses from only about
25 percent of the 2.9 million summonses it sent out last year, the news service
reports.
In some areas, officials are trying to increase the response rate by making
it more appealing to serve on a jury, such as offering higher pay, inexpensive
parking, and discounts to local restaurants.
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