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New systems, policies to beef up participation

Thursday, February 20, 2003

By Jim McKinnon, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

The color of justice in Allegheny County could change in the near future when Common Pleas Court officials take steps to diversify the jury pool.

The change was recommended by a group of Carnegie Mellon University graduate students who, during a monthlong survey of more than 2,100 prospective jurors last year, confirmed what many defendants and their attorneys have complained about for some time: African Americans are perhaps the most underrepresented segment of the county's population on juries in criminal and civil court.

The group determined that, while black people make up about 11 percent of the county's population, they make up only about 5.4 percent of any given court jury. During the survey period, they made up 4.4 percent of criminal court juries and 5.9 percent of juries in civil court cases.

The survey is significant because it supports complaints by many African-American defendants that they were not judged by their peers. Instead, whether they were convicted or acquitted, their fates were decided in many cases by all-white juries.

The comprehensive survey and study includes recommendations to improve the overall operation of jury selection and accommodations for those who are chosen to serve. While most court officers believe that justice still is being done, the lack of participation by black jurors may be more than a perception, the graduate students found.

Ray Billotte, the district court administrator, has said that the county is preparing to address the issues.

The county will spend $160,000 over the next four years on a new, computerized mailing system to better track eligible voters and confirm their residency status. Jury Commission officials have said that thousands of summonses -- about 15 percent of those mailed -- are sent to incorrect addresses. When they are returned to the county, officials are limited insofar as finding those prospective jurors.

The Carnegie Mellon group recommended several measures to curb the instances of people avoiding jury duty. They included use of a new high school civics curriculum that emphasizes the importance of jury service and a public relations campaign that targets minority communities.

Billotte said that Allegheny County President Judge Robert Kelly may finalize as soon as next week a new policy designed to encourage participation and enforce laws regarding prospective jurors who ignore their summonses. The offense, which is criminal contempt, is punishable by up to 10 days in jail and up to $500 in fines.

To serve as a juror, a citizen must be 18 or older; be able to read, write and speak English; be physically and mentally able to serve; and cannot be a convicted felon.

Allegheny County presently relies heavily on tax assessment rolls, voter registration lists and information from the state Department of Transportation's licensing records to identify prospective jurors.