Texas man jailed 83 days for skipping jury duty

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090509...RzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawN0ZXhhc21hbmphaWw-
McKINNEY, Texas – A man arrested for allegedly failing to appear for jury[FONT=arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif] duty[/FONT] was released Saturday after spending 83 days in jail, a length of detention that a judge called "unacceptable."

Douglas Maupin was released a day after The Dallas Morning News brought his plight to the attention of a Collin County judge.

Maupin, a masonry contractor, was arrested Feb. 15 after police pulled him over for speeding. Police then detained him on a 2003 warrant for failure to appear for jury duty.

He wrote a letter to the newspaper about his lengthy jail stay, then said in a jailhouse interview that he, his friends[FONT=arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif] and[/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif] family[/FONT] could not afford his $1,500 bail.

He said his attempt to get a public defender was rebuffed by a jail clerk.

District Judge Chris Oldner said he was unaware of Maupin's detention until Friday, even though the case was assigned to his court. The judge who signed the original 2003 warrant had retired, and officials said the case was assigned to the court of his replacement but the offense didn't fall under that court's responsibility.

"He should not have spent that much time. This is unacceptable," Oldner told the Morning News. "I don't know why the process failed to notify us."

Oldner also said that Maupin should have been allowed to apply for a public defender.

Maupin, 34, said he just wanted his day in court.

"I do know I have the right to due process and a speedy[FONT=arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif] trial[/FONT]," he said. "I've had neither. It's not right."

The judge said he was "disappointed this has happened," and promised to investigate.
Click to expand...

This is nuts.
 
I thought the penalty for skipping jury duty was worse. Sounds fine to me. It is against the law, and people should be punished for it.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']I thought the penalty for skipping jury duty was worse. Sounds fine to me. It is against the law, and people should be punished for it.[/quote]

You thought wrong. It isn't fine when due process isn't granted, and the punishment isn't allowed to be 83 days in jail. That's more time than most DUI cases.

http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2006/06/05/story5.html

Texas judges can currently order deputies to pick up those who skip out on jury duty. Judges also can fine individuals $10 to $1,000 for refusing to show, but law is rarely enforced.
Click to expand...
 
Seems like the judge wasn't even aware they were holding this guy.

Makes me wonder why his family didn't run down to the courthouse waving a habeas corpus petition at first opportunity.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']I thought the penalty for skipping jury duty was worse. Sounds fine to me. It is against the law, and people should be punished for it.[/QUOTE]
Clerarly, you're not familiar with the eighth amendment.

Or, you're just fuckin' dumb.
 
is it irony that the guy wants "due process and speedy trial" when he himself didn't even go to jury duty and why he's there is because he didn't go... ?
 
[quote name='xycury']is it irony that the guy wants "due process and speedy trial" when he himself didn't even go to jury duty and why he's there is because he didn't go... ?[/QUOTE]

No. He's probably guilty of contempt of court, yes, but that doesn't have any bearing on his 6th/14th Amendment rights. Furthermore, his nonappearance didn't prevent anyone from having their court date set.
 
I hope to never be involved in a trial of my own. I opted out of the service. But I suppose if I ever am involved in a trial where jurors are involved on my behalf, I would then start to attend. It would be hypocritical of me to refuse to attend a service that I myself were to have utilized. But for now, I avoid it.

83 days is ridiculous. His whole life has to be ruined. I imagine he's lost his job for sure. Likely going to end up on his record and used as a mark against him wherever possible. I imagine I would have a sour taste in my mouth regarding jury duty as well after an event like this.
 
[quote name='Achilles00']Wow. What's the normal punishment for skipping jury duty anyway?[/QUOTE]

It depends. Generally around here, it depends on your attitude when you get brought in. If you have a REAL good reason and are apologetic, probably just a stern lecture. If you just blow it off and act like an ass, probably a $500 fine at most. The only way someone would get jailed around here is if they not only didn't attend for jury duty, but also didn't show up when they were summoned in to explain their failure to appear.
 
[quote name='xycury']is it irony that the guy wants "due process and speedy trial" when he himself didn't even go to jury duty and why he's there is because he didn't go... ?[/quote]

I think the greater irony is that the government is vastly reducing sentences for violent offenders to make room in overcrowded prisons yet a screw-up like this is still allowed to happen through a mixture of apathy, laziness, and incompetence. I understand that enforcing jury duty is important but come on man, the punishment needs to fit the crime.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']Clerarly, you're not familiar with the eighth amendment.

Or, you're just fuckin' dumb.[/QUOTE]

aw quit fucking bitching at me goddamn
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']The latter, I see.[/QUOTE]



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[quote name='Achilles00']Wow. What's the normal punishment for skipping jury duty anyway?[/QUOTE]

I skipped - meaning I forgot - to go once. Nothing happened.

Not that that is the normal punishment necessarily.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']I skipped - meaning I forgot - to go once. Nothing happened.

Not that that is the normal punishment necessarily.[/quote]

No, it is.
 
I wish I could trade my illusion to vote right to vote for not having to be obligated for jury duty.
 
[quote name='Brak']I wish I could trade my illusion to vote right to vote for not having to be obligated for jury duty.[/QUOTE]

You can.

Don't register.
 
[quote name='Magus8472']You can.

Don't register.[/quote]

That's not the only way they get a list of potential jurors though. They sometimes choose from people who have driver's licenses.
 
I'm confused that after 83 days in jail as to why his friends and family couldn't come up with $150. Because typically if you go to a bail-bondsman, you pay 10% of your bail to them, and they take care of the rest, as long as you promise to appear in court.

Hell, if they begged on the street and only gathered $2 a day, they'd have had the money in 75 days.
 
Oh shit, I live in Collin County! Looks like I won't be skipping out on jury duty at the McKinney courthouse anytime soon!
 
I got a jury notice once when I was 19. I just send them back the letter with the "Can't because work does not pay for days on jury" box checked out. I never even bother asked my boss if they actually did paid or not, i just didn't want to go. It was easy as hell, took 2 seconds out of my life and a postal stamp. I was fine and I have never seem another jury notice since then. Also at that time i was not a register voter. I did have a Drivers license tho.
 
I love that they guy who broke the law is somehow the "victim" here.

Agree about due process COMPLETELY, but - it's his own fault he was in that scenario in the first place. Somebody mentioned earlier that attitude has a lot to do with it, and I wouldn't be surprised if his attitude had a lot to do with his time in jail as well.

At some point in society, you have to actually enforce laws or else the law becomes a list of suggestions. Jury Duty SUCKS, but it's also a critical piece of our imperfect legal system which also so happens to be the best in the world.

This guy's missing out on his "due process" is frustrating, but not nearly as frustrating as the multitudes of people who skip out on Jury Duty without a care in the world and deprive the accused of their rights to a fair and impartial jury every day. This guy skipped out on jury duty and deprived someone else of their full rights. Now he's complaining that he didn't get his full rights served.

I LOVE Texas.
 
[quote name='chosen1s']I love that they guy who broke the law is somehow the "victim" here.

Agree about due process COMPLETELY, but - it's his own fault he was in that scenario in the first place. Somebody mentioned earlier that attitude has a lot to do with it, and I wouldn't be surprised if his attitude had a lot to do with his time in jail as well.

At some point in society, you have to actually enforce laws or else the law becomes a list of suggestions. Jury Duty SUCKS, but it's also a critical piece of our imperfect legal system which also so happens to be the best in the world.

This guy's missing out on his "due process" is frustrating, but not nearly as frustrating as the multitudes of people who skip out on Jury Duty without a care in the world and deprive the accused of their rights to a fair and impartial jury every day. This guy skipped out on jury duty and deprived someone else of their full rights. Now he's complaining that he didn't get his full rights served.

I LOVE Texas.[/QUOTE]

For someone with so much respect for the legal system, you're sure willing to chuck that whole "innocent until proven guilty" bit out the window.
 
[quote name='Magus8472']You can.

Don't register.[/QUOTE]
I already registered - when I was young and naive.
 
thats bullshit... jails for fucking criminals not skipping damn jury duty... i think people forget that there are bad people out there well deserving of jail time but they fork up the cash get bailed out violent or just plain criminal behavior be damned... and some guy goes to jail for this and this long of sentence is just bullshit and its just because none had the 1500 to fork over... Maybe if he was a better criminal then he'd of had the cash on him for the bail from the store he just knocked over.. this is bullshit
 
[quote name='GuyWithGun']I'm confused that after 83 days in jail as to why his friends and family couldn't come up with $150. Because typically if you go to a bail-bondsman, you pay 10% of your bail to them, and they take care of the rest, as long as you promise to appear in court.

Hell, if they begged on the street and only gathered $2 a day, they'd have had the money in 75 days.[/quote]
"He wrote a letter to the newspaper about his lengthy jail stay, then said in a jailhouse interview that he, his friends[FONT=arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif] and[/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif] family[/FONT] could not afford his $1,500 bail."
 
[quote name='chosen1s']...This guy skipped out on jury duty and deprived someone else of their full rights. Now he's complaining that he didn't get his full rights served.

I LOVE Texas.[/quote]

How exactly had he "deprived someone else of their full rights"? Only depriving of rights I see here was being perpetrated by the US government.
 
[quote name='Magus8472']For someone with so much respect for the legal system, you're sure willing to chuck that whole "innocent until proven guilty" bit out the window.[/quote]

Perhaps you failed to notice this:

"failure to appear for jury duty"
Click to expand...
What is so "innocent" about that in this fantasy land of yours???

Punishment doesn't fit the crime one bit though. This is either f'd up or we're only getting half the story.
 
[quote name='Orbiting234']Perhaps you failed to notice this:

What is so "innocent" about that in this fantasy land of yours???

Punishment doesn't fit the crime one bit though. This is either f'd up or we're only getting half the story.[/QUOTE]

I'm glad you're so willing to equate accusations of guilt with actual guilt. However, the main issue is that he wasn't being punished for anything, he was being detained persuant to a bench warrant. And for a pretty absurd length of time, given that the charge carries about as much complexity and stigma as jaywalking.

EDIT: I mean, come on, you're simultaneously taking the news report as gospel and expressing how skeptical you are about it. Make up your mind.
 
About 2 years ago when I was still in college I got 3 letters for jury duty and ignored all of them I wonder if there's a warrant out for my arrest. I'm actually a bit worried now lol
 
[quote name='Soujiro_Seta']About 2 years ago when I was still in college I got 3 letters for jury duty and ignored all of them I wonder if there's a warrant out for my arrest. I'm actually a bit worried now lol[/quote]

Yeah I'd check it out. A bit scary when you read all the idiots in this thread who think 83 days is an apt punishment, isn't it? As much as I enjoy laughing at them, in the end I'm saddened by Americans who are always eager to give up their rights.
 
Not everybody can afford to take off work for the waste of time jury duty process. Especially, in Texas they tend to plea deal at the end of the day while youv'e sat there all day wasting your time. Now, for me I don't mind because my employer pays me during jury service, but not all employers do. The $10 they give you for service don't pay the bills.
 
Since I don't feel like making a new thread, I'll post here...

I live in CA and have just been summoned to jury duty. The date on my summons is at the end of May. Now, I am moving at the end of July. When we are given the summons, we can delay it up to 6 months as long as we let them know via the website. So, I delayed it until September. Since I will no longer be a resident of the state by that time, can I simply contact the courts after I've moved and state that I am no longer eligible, or would I be SOL and told that I have to serve since I was a resident when I was summoned? Any other concerns I should be aware of?
 
I recieved a jury summons from North Dakota when I was 15. The real kicker is that we had all ready moved to Maryland when I received it. I have no idea how that happened.
 
I'm in the opposite boat. I'd love to serve on a jury once. I've gotten three notices that say I should prepare to go to the courthouse, if they notify me again, or sometimes they cancel on me after I've been notified.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']You're in no position to attack someone's intelligence, CoffeeEdge.[/QUOTE]


You have no goddamn idea how smart I am, jackass. Don't even pretend.

And hey, for all I know, you just pretend to be a jackass online, right?

But seriously, only a retard would think that post wasn't a joke.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']You have no goddamn idea how smart I am, jackass. Don't even pretend.

But seriously, only a retard would think that post wasn't a joke.[/QUOTE]
And only a retard would think my post wasn't a joke. So obviously we're at a retard impasse, CoffeEdge.
 
[quote name='Friend of Sonic']And only a retard would think my post wasn't a joke. So obviously we're at a retard impasse, CoffeEdge.[/QUOTE]


You wanna know the really funny part? I've actually had jury duty before, and it was exactly like Law & Order.
 
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