Grand jury duty isn’t what it used to be

To the editor,

When I received the notice to report for grand jury duty on Aug. 15, I was not concerned. Twice in my life I had served on grand juries. As a young man in 1979 and as a middle-aged man in the early part of this century, I found them to be painless experiences.

The selection process was quick. Names were called, and those who were not picked were promptly sent home. We served three days a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday — for a month.

The process was explained: we were not deciding innocence or guilt, but whether there was enough evidence to indicate the person might have committed a crime and therefore should be indicted. A trial jury would determine whether the evidence proved guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. An indictment would occur if 12 of the 23 grand jurors voted for it. We were told to decide strictly on the quality of the evidence and not be swayed by whether someone was a police officer, or by their race, religion or appearance.

This time, we were brought into a room where the air conditioning was so high, no one would have felt comfortable. The only positive was the music, which started with classic R&B and then shifted to beautiful jazz.

When the music stopped, we were given sheets showing four panels that needed to be filled. Each panel started a week apart. They all lasted a month, but this time we had to serve five days a week.

Crime was higher when I served in the past, especially in 1979. So I don’t understand why we now have to serve more days to deal with less crime.

Since my wonderful tabby, Jackie (named after Jackie Wilson), is suffering from lymphoma and getting weaker every day, I don’t know how much time he has left. So I picked a panel that will serve in September. That gives me more time to spend with him while he’s still alive. If it were still three days a week, I could have served immediately and still had four days a week to spend with him.

Also, having been retired since 2011, serving five days a week (minus Labor Day) basically means I’ll be un-retired for the month of September.

Notice that when I explained how a grand jury works, it took me one paragraph, and I used as few words as possible. Judge Boone’s explanations were very wordy, and he repeated the same things over and over and over again. Listening to him was as annoying as listening to another Boone who works in that neighborhood — Aaron.

Before the selection process, we were given very strict rules about what could get us excused. Because of that, I did not ask to see the judge to request an excuse. But since enough jurors, including me, were chosen, the others were automatically excused without being questioned. If I had known that, I would have asked to see the judge. I was too honest for my own good.

Richard Warren