http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-reluctant-jurors15-2010feb15,0,824472.story
"As more people seek dismissal for financial hardship, their claims face much tighter scrutiny. In one case the jury pool was so rebellious and 'scary' that both sides agreed to let the judge decide."
The summer before I came to college, I was given the beloved task of being on jury duty. Unlike the people this article addresses who feel as though jury duty is a burden on them financially, I was excited to possibly make a couple of bucks! I never worked in high school because I was always busy with school stuff, so I was totally up for the idea of getting a little extra cash, plus I thought it would be fun.
This article mentions that the Los Angeles County courthouse was paying jurors 15 dollars a day, but if I remember right, I would have gotten paid somewhere around 32 dollars a day, plus mileage (one way I believe). At the time, I thought that was a ton of money, especially since I didn't have a source of income to begin with. Now though, I can understand why many people simply cannot afford to take off work to sit in on a trial, especially one lasting three weeks like in the article.
It is really too bad that a lot of people are unwilling to participate due to financial constraints because it really takes away from how the criminal justice system is intended to function, but at the same time if sitting in on a trial meant me losing the house that supported my family because I can't pay the bills, I would have no choice but to be upset as well.