First, thanks for putting a child molester where he belongs!
BBM: Now on to this very interesting comment you made. You said you were sequestered, had you ever also served on a jury where you weren't? I am wondering how much sequestering plays a part in a jury's deliberations? It is an interesting thought and one I would love to get other posters opinions on. Does the State and the Defense tailor their case to the fact that jurors are sequestered? Do they do/say anything differently then they would if the jury went home every day?
For some reason this just fascinates me. We all agree that the personalities of the attorneys make a difference. Does sequestering a jury make a difference too?
Yes, I have served one other time, prior to that criminal case. It was a civil case and only lasted 3 days. Determining money damages is not near as stressful as knowing you are sending someone to prison for an extended period of time. Even if you detest the defendant, it is an overwhelming feeling of responsibility. I bawled my eyes out when we finally reached a verdict. Mostly a sense of relief, while still praying to God we made the right decision. The DA spoke with me afterwards and told me that he had been arrested 4 previous times, but when the families found out who the defense attorney was they refused to put their kids through the rigors of testifying, so charges were dropped. That gave me a
tremendous sense of relief.
For me, sequestration was harder than I expected. I got more than a little stir-crazy. We were in the same town and housed in a nearby hotel. We were not allowed to listen to any radio or news. IIRC, we had basic channels (NBC, CBS and ABC) on our televisions and could only turn them on between 7p-10p, when it was sure that no local news would be broadcast. The tvs would default to the hotel info channel at all other times. We were allowed lots of pre-approved books, magazines and VHS movies. We ate every meal together, accompanied by security. I remember we were able to order room service if we chose, because I did that most mornings for breakfast. We were allowed phone calls once a night. Our phones were set for only out-going calls and only for a specific time frame (like an hour every night). I don't recall any other restrictions because I only talked to my kids and husband every night. I know in some cases, calls are monitored, but that didn't happen for me. They did allow us that privacy. I can honestly say I never once spoke about the case to anyone, not even my husband or my in-laws who were helping care for my kids. And, thankfully, they respected me enough not to ask.
I think sequestration affects people differently, although I don't think anyone liked it and we were all thrilled to go home. I was probably the youngest person on that jury and I had 3 kids (9, 11 & 13 yrs) that I had left in the care of my husband and in-laws. That was hard. I think it was probably a little easier for some who were older, retired or single. It also depends on your personality. I did okay for the most part, but the hardest part of all was listening and digesting such emotional testimony and having absolutely no one to talk about it with. No one to vent to. Jurors are not allowed to discuss anything amongst themselves at all until deliberations. So, you just replay all that in your mind. At least I did. I meant it when I said I dreamed about it. I still think about it from time to time and it has been over 20 years.
During the trial, one of the things that would tick me off the most seems very minor, but it wasn't to us considering we were sequestered. When we would be excused from the courtroom so something could be discussed outside of our presence, I would get so mad! lol Actually, everybody did. I remember we all said, "WTH couldn't they take care of this before they brought us in here!!" :maddening: You don't mind doing your duty, but dammit all - get to the point and don't waste our time! You really don't have any patience for that kind of stuff AT ALL. So, they better get their ducks in a row and be ready to roll. Jurors will be more than happy to work Saturdays if it means things will be moving at a faster pace. It is not like they have anything else to do.
One other thing - the longer it went on, the more I looked at the judge almost as a father figure. I counted on him to keep the attorneys in line and keep the trial moving along. I think jurors expect the judge to look out for them, to some extent. We were fortunate enough to have a terrific judge. Sidenote - I got to know him later. I stopped by a small, hole-in-the-wall bar for happy hour one night and there he was. He recognized me and we struck up a friendship. He even fessed up that he went through the trash can in our deliberation room to read the vote counts at the end of each day! :floorlaugh: We ended up meeting for cocktails at the same bar that he frequented for years. He is the one who helped me land my first job in law. I guess some things are just meant to be.
I divorced and moved several years later. I haven't seen him in years now. After going down this memory lane, I need to look him up and touch base with him.
eta: Keep in mind I was only sequestered for 2 weeks! Nothing like 2 months. God bless those jurors. whew
