Jurors waive pay to aid court system

Some jurors in Shelby County are helping to compensate a bit for court system budget-slashing by simply signing their names.

Since the October circuit court term, Shelby County Circuit Clerk Mary Harris has included a letter with the checks and certificates that go out to all those who spend a week either serving on a jury or remaining on call for potential jury service.

She simply asks jurors to consider voluntarily signing their checks back to the Shelby County Clerk's Fund. The letter spells out the effect of a 75-percent caseload increase accompanied by a state-ordered staff reduction.

After her office staff - which should have 22 full-time assistant clerks, according to a state manpower study - was reduced to 14 in the last round of state budget cuts, Harris found herself casting about for some way to ease the workload.

"Jury service does not pay much," Harris said. "Some of the checks are just $10, $11 or $12, but those checks add up." Jurors receive $10 for each day of service and 5cents a mile between their homes and the courthouse.

In the October and November jury trial weeks, 43 jurors made the voluntary donation, Harris said, resulting in deposits of $882 to the audited fund.

The clerk modeled her program on an old waiver form that once was used to encourage jurors to give their jury service pay back to the state.

Harris likes her plan better. The money stays in Columbiana instead of going into the state's general fund.

"I spend a little time with the jurors before they leave the courthouse to invite them to come to my office and meet Kristin Champion," Harris said. Champion is the temporary employee hired with juror contributions.

Having Champion in the office to answer telephones and re-shelf files, Harris said, enables more experienced workers to process complaints, warrants, and pleadings, including divorces, child support, civil lawsuits, traffic cases, criminal prosecutions and juvenile cases, as well as civil and criminal appeals being forwarded to the state's appellate courts.

"I also invite the jurors to come in any time to look at the books and see how the money is being managed," Harris said.

In her "Dear Juror" letter, Harris notes that roughly $7 million in her office collected in court costs, judgments and restitution last year went to victims and to the state general fund, except for small portions ear-marked for the Shelby law library and juvenile detention center.

Some Jefferson County jurors also are forgoing their daily $10 jury pay to help the ailing court system. Presiding Circuit Judge Scott Vowell has been asking potential jurors whether they would consider waiving their jury duty fee to help the county possibly extend the number of jury weeks for next year.

Of 304 Jefferson County residents who showed up for jury duty last week, 57 signed waivers, which resulted in a savings of $1,385, Vowell said.