Showing posts with label childcare and jurors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label childcare and jurors. Show all posts

Thursday, February 27, 2020

The Changing Face of Jury Pools



 Are you aware of how many of your prospective jurors are responsible for childcare? Often you lose the benefit of such jurors as they are regularly excused for obvious reasons. That being said, Courts are increasingly aware of childcare being an issue for prospective jurors and some have begun to proactively address it.

For example, Superior Courts in Riverside and Murrieta have childcare available for jurors. They accept children three years and older and are potty trained. A quick internet search of California Superior Courts shows other locations offering pretty much the same service, among them are Redwood City, Compton and Fresno.

Although there are too few Courts offering childcare for this to impact all jury pools, it is a trend that could very well develop quickly. Courts need more willing jurors and this is an intelligent approach to the problem. After all, significant segments of the population cannot serve if hampered by childcare obligations. We’re not just talking about young moms, but also fathers who are taking over childcare for working moms, single dads and the traditional grandmothers and aunts who provide such services for family.

Jurors with young children have a different order of concerns, and often a different lifestyle (sleep deprived, exist in a child-centric universe). Depending on your case, introducing these jurors into the mix means looking at your case through these jurors’ eyes, something you may not have had to do before.