Back from Mars.

For the last three days I've been serving on the jury for a criminal trial in my area.  I won't get into the nature of the charges (not pleasant), but I do want to reflect a bit on the experience, even though it doesn't have anything to do with breastfeeding.

First, unlike just about everyone I know, I've always wanted to serve on a jury.  Call me sentimental, but it's one of so few things that this country asks of its civilians, and it's such a uniquely American institution which I wanted to experience (not that other countries don't have jury trials, but this is an opportunity to experience our particular system of justice). 

So, here's what I've been thinking:

Serving on a jury is a huge and humbling responsibility.  I could hear the foreman's voice tremble a bit when he read the verdict, and he's a big and tough-acting guy.  I've heard the words "reasonable doubt" thousands of times, but I've never had to use it to determine someone's fate. 

Being on a jury is a little like trip to another planet, say Mars.  You're suddenly a critical part of the nightmare which the parties are living, though you've never seen or heard of them before.  It feels a bit like "We interrupt your regularly scheduled week of reading Franklin books and helping fix latches so that you can make a life-altering decision in the life of a perfect stranger."

And while this is trivial in the scheme of things, life as you know it is put on hold for the duration of the experience.  This isn't necessarily bad, but it does feel strange.  I found that I lost track of which day of the week it was.  And of course it's strange to not be able to discuss what's happening with your partner or anyone else but the 11 other strangers in the deliberation room.

At the risk of sounding like a bad political speech, I feel very priveleged to have served in this way.  Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.  Where's that pump?

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Comments

[Tai'sMom]

I too have always wanted to serve on a jury. I've been called to jury duty several times, but never had to serve. Though now that I am a mom it's starting to seem like it would just be a huge disruption in my life. But I still think it would be a really interesting experience.

[Ewokmama]

I've wanted to serve on a jury, as well! But I've only ever been called once and all I did was sit in the waiting room all day. They don't want me on their juries, apparently.

[crunchy domestic goddess]

before i had kids, i had the opportunity to serve on a jury and i was kind of looking forward to it. but then during the jury screening a question was asked about if anyone had any family history of a run-in with the law or some such thing and my brother did and went to jail for a while when he was a teenager, so they dismissed me. i was bummed.
now though, with everything i would have to do to juggle the kids, and especially julian still nursing several times a day, i'd rather not serve.
good for you for fulfilling your civic duty. :)

[Alicia]

I have been summoned for jury duty 3 times the first 2 time I had a young nursling and didn't go, the second the trial got canceled and this last time I was 9 mos pregnant and thought I had better go since they will surely be calling me again. I had always thought it to be a very interesting thing to do and looked forward to the day I could "serve" my community. Every thing you said is so true, it is an amazing thing to have someone elses life in your hands. In my case we convicted this man of major drug charges and it was a very difficult and heartwrenching decision for many of us women to convict him and have him facing many many years. It probably didn't help that his small children were in the courtroom the first days. Anyway you are so right and did an awesome job describing it. As disrupted as my life was it was a very enlightening experience all around. :)