One Day/One
Trial jury duty service systems are becoming increasingly common across the United
States. Dallas County, for instance, was one of the first jurisdictions to
implement the system for jury duty[1]. It started even earlier
in Harris County, Texas in the 1970s[2], but some jurisdictions
had not implemented this system heading into the 21st Century.[3] One Day/One Trial
(sometimes referred to as ODOT) is a jury selection process where if you are
not selected to serve on a jury the day you report for jury duty, you will be
released to go home unless the trial court instructs you to return.[4] One Day/One Trial, and
shorter jury services in general, can benefit both the juror and the justice system
as a whole.
Benefits to the
Juror
One Day/One Trial
system benefits both employees serving on juries and employers. Employees will lose
less potential income because they will have a definitive and shorter time
frame they will be serving as a juror for.[5] Likewise, employers will
have an easier time finding a substitute for that employee.[6] In this way, the One Day/One
Trial system expands representation on juries by making it easier for everyone
to serve as a juror because barriers like taking time off work and losing
income are lowered.[7]
Jurors also
benefit from the One Day/One Trial by having more opportunities to serve on the
jury, which can be a positive and educational act of civil service.[8] A study done in the late
1980s showed that, while more people were significantly more likely to sit on
only one voir dire in a One Day/One Trial system, there was only a slight decrease
in the number of people who were selected to sit on a jury – meaning that more
people overall had the opportunity to serve as jurors.[9]
Benefits to
the Justice System
One of the
primary benefits of the One Day/One Trial system is the increased diversity of
jury pools that it offers.[10] As mentioned earlier, One
Day/One Trial systems ease the burden of taking off work and allow more people a
chance to be on a jury.[11] It also captures a
broader cross-section of the workforce because it allows sets a certain time that
potential jurors can schedule to be off.[12] A diverse jury pool and diverse
juries are broadly recognized to lead to a healthier, fairer justice system.[13]
A One Day/One
Trial system also increases the overall effectiveness of the justice system.
First, despite some concerns from critics, One Day/One Trial systems have
actually been shown to keep overall costs down and costs per juror down – even though
more jurors are being summoned.[14] Costs are lowered both
overall and per juror, because costs associated with summoning and training
jurors are lower than costs associated with continually covering maintaining
jurors who are serving, like parking or travel, food, lost wages, etc.[15]
But more than
that, jurors have reported being more engaged and attentive during the process
and are more likely to appear when summoned because jurors know they will only
be held for one day or one trial.[16] While concerns over losing
‘veteran jurors’ have been raised in an argument against the One Day/One Trial system,
fresh jurors are often less cynical, more cooperative, and approach trials they
are placed on with a fresh perspective unaffected by the last trial.[17]
Overall, a One
Day/One Trial system brings many benefits with it while having little downside.
A One Day/One Trial system can increase diversity in the jury pool by lowering
barriers to serving on juries, like lost wages and time. The One Day/One Trial
system can also increase juror engagement and satisfaction during the process
while keeping costs to the justice system down. The benefits stand for
themselves, and every jurisdiction could likely benefit from using the One
Day/One Trial system.
