Spokane County Jury Pool Getting Shallow More Jurors Are Being Called As Crimes, Trials Increase, But Fewer Will Serve

Spokane County’s tough anti-crime stance is causing plenty of work for judges and lawyers.

The courthouse crush comes from a record number of trials, an increase in major crimes and greater prosecution of domestic violence cases.

As District and Superior courts handle that load, county officials are struggling with another problem - finding enough people to serve on juries.

More people than ever are trying to get out of jury duty, requiring county workers to spend more money and time mailing requests to would-be jurors and dealing with their responses.

“It does seem there are lot more people telling us they’re not able to take off work or can’t afford day care than before,” said Judy Ottoson, the county’s jury coordinator.

Last year, the county had a “yield rate” of 37 percent for jury service, meaning 37 of every 100 people served when asked to do so.

This year so far, the rate is the worst ever: about 26 percent.

Much of that is attributed to bad addresses. Every month on average, one out of five summonses are returned because the person has moved.

County officials use two lists from which a computer randomly selects names for jury service.

The first list - names of registered voters - was the county’s only source of prospective jurors through late 1994.

That year, the Legislature told counties across the state to broaden the pool by including all drivers and holders of state Identicards.

With the combined list, Spokane County’s group of eligible jurors nearly doubled, said Superior Court Administrator Dave Hardy.

That change broadened the type of people available for jury duty, he said. But it also added people who are more likely to move more often, or who would face financial hardship if they served.

“One problem we also face is the downsizing going on in local companies,” Ottoson said.

Though employers cannot legally refuse to let workers go, many don’t compensate workers for the time they serve on juries.

“The result is a lot of people who want to serve but say they can’t afford to take the time away from work,” Ottoson said.

When Ottoson finally does get enough jurors, the net effect is more money being spent by county taxpayers to cover their daily fees and mileage expenses.

The county paid about $225,000 last year for 13,412 juror-days in Spokane County Superior Court.

This year, the county expects the extra work will cost $236,000 in fees for about 15,000 juror-days.

Every day a juror serves in court is considered one juror-day. The county pays about $15 to each juror for a day’s service. “Those added costs are something the court has no control over,” said Hardy. “We respond to what the prosecutor’s office does.”

Boosting the number of jurors needed is the number of major crimes going to trial. Those cases - including some of 1995’s record 24 homicides - require larger panels of prospective jurors than other criminal or civil trials.

Next month’s most complicated Superior Court case, for instance, required Ottoson to find 75 people ready to serve on that jury.

That’s the Oct. 28 double-murder trial of Joseph Andrews, accused of the 1994 shootings of a man and woman in Browne’s Addition. The trial is expected to last five weeks, partly because the prosecutor’s office is seeking the death penalty.

In preparing for October, Ottoson has had to mail 1,900 jury summonses the most ever in Spokane County. The previous high was 1,850 in July.

Starting last year, the county began requiring people who say they can’t serve to provide written explanations.

Half of Ottoson’s time is spent trying to decide if people really face hardships, and if so, whether they can serve later. Spokane might follow the lead of other counties who’ve cut the length of service from two weeks to one, Hardy said.

It’s also considering the option that King County’s tried, offering some jurors one-day specials. Jurors are assured they need to come in for just one day for a trial taking at most several hours.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Excuses, excuses State law requires everyone 18 and older - except felons and non-U.S. citizens - to serve on juries. Summonses for jury service are sent out randomly. People can be excused for “undue hardship,” extreme inconvenience or medical problems. Top reasons why Spokane County has released people from jury duty: Medical problems Prior business or vacation commitments No longer county resident Work obligations Financial hardship Day-care complications College studies Deceased Source: Spokane County Superior Court administrator’s office.