Does Jury Duty Create Temporary Economic Hardships?

At one point in time, everyone that has ever voted in either a local or a national election will be called upon to serve on a jury. Jury duty is a civic obligation that supersedes a person's employment, family, and leisure. People who participate on a jury are compensated for their service; there are many who believe that the compensation is inadequate considering the ordeal they have to endure. In some cases, jury duty may cause some people to suffer some type of economic hardship.

There is nothing wrong with serving on a jury. It is our civic duty regardless of how we feel about it. This is the only time that American citizens are able to participate in the judicial process. One thing that makes people uneasy about jury duty is the time that they are away from work. Now those who work for companies or organizations most likely will not face any types of financial hardships as a result of serving on a jury. People that are either business owners or hourly workers will not be so lucky. The majority of the people who are in one or two of those categories that miss a day's work also miss a day of pay. For them serving on a jury can be a serious financial hardship. The average pay for jury duty is $20 dollars a day. Now if you are a college student $20 a day might be good. This is nothing to someone who may be a consultant or a contractor that may be accustomed to making $40 an hour. Hourly employees are in the same boat especially if they are accustomed to making around $20 an hour. Jury duty is not something they look forward too but instead would rather not be called to serve at all. In some cases many people have attempted to use the state of the economy as a reason for them not being able to serve. Unfortunately contrary to what many believe, even the recession is not a legitimate excuse not to serve on a jury.

It makes no difference how we feel about serving on a jury or how it affects us financially. If we are either self employed are hourly paid works it is our civic duty to serve on a jury. Unlike many other countries jury duty enables us to participate in the judicial process.