The blog below chronicles the experience of one juror who sat on the trial of Bernard Jackson. Mr. Jackson received 18 consecutive life sentences for the attacks he committed on women during 1983 and 1984. Besides sharing her feelings on the antiquated rape laws of the eighties, the juror offers some very insightful comments about the trial itself and being sequestered.
A Juror's Odyssey Through the Jackson County Court.
In the mornings, I stand outside my door at 8am with the other jurors and we walk out to the vans together. Upon arrival at the courthouse, the vans pull into a garage. We exit and are escorted upstairs to the jury room where we wait until we are summoned to the courtroom. Sometimes it feels like we are celebrities being kept from the public eye.
One juror smokes, so we have all taken to accompanying him on smoke breaks so we can get outside and feel the sunshine. The clerks accompany us for this activity also. There is always a chaperone with us in elevators. We accompany each other to public restrooms. No one is allowed to be alone. I feel like I am 12 all over again.
When the women want to walk or go to the gym, we are accompanied by one of the clerks. (The men would have to do this too if they were interested in exercising.) One of the women had a Zumba DVD which we all tried out. I cannot even imagine what the poor clerk was thinking. I’m sure we looked ridiculous. I felt ridiculous. But it was fun to try something new and we laughed about it for a long time after. And it was a really good workout.
When we go to dinner, we make a reservation and only eat at restaurants with private dining rooms. The clerks enter the restaurant first to make sure the TV’s are not showing information about the trial. If they are, they quickly tell us to go back outside or into the entrance of the restaurant. They ask the manager to turn off the television until we have all been seated. It’s like having my very own secret service or bodyguards.
If anyone sees any information about the trial or is spoken to about the trial by anyone, the clerks will have to report it to the judge. The most important thing, more important than our comfort and convenience, is the integrity of the trial. The jury must remain unbiased and free from outside influence. I wonder what happens if someone sees something about the trial that we aren’t supposed to see.
Phone calls must be made in the presence of one of the clerks. At first, I thought they would be listening to our conversations on the phone. Luckily they don’t carry it that far, not that I have anything to hide. I call home a couple of times just to check in.
To pass the time, I talk with the other jurors. We play Spades and other card games in the jury room while we are waiting to be called down to the courtroom. We get to know each other. It’s funny that we are all from the same area but lead such different lives. I love that.
We have been discussing who will play each of us in the movie version of our story as the jury. We also convinced one of the clerks to purchase lottery tickets for us. We pooled together some money so we could be the sequestered jury that wins the Powerball. I am thankful for a good group of people to pass the time with, even though we cannot discuss the case.
Truly, the only time I am alone is when I am in my room. Sometimes it is a bit infuriating to be surrounded by people all the time. Being shepherded as a group is difficult and we must do everything together. When I am finally in my room, it is too quiet and my mind begins to wander.
