New Wichita County jury selection system is in operation
Wichita County is onboard with its new jury selection software and District Clerk Leslee Mannon said it’s already paying off. Her office began using the new software Oct. 16.
“It's insane to me how quickly it goes,” Mannon said.
A main benefit to prospective jurors is not having to make unnecessary trips to the courthouse or the MPEC for “cattle calls.” That also means savings for the county, which moved jury assemblies to the MPEC because of space restrictions in the courthouse. The county was paying $1,350 per day for use of the MPEC rooms.
Mannon said she asked some people who had been called for jury duty in the past what they thought of the new system.
“Everybody said, 'oh, this is so much better, this is so much easier,'” she said.
She explained how it works.
Pre-qualification for jury duty made easy
“You used to get the big yellow postcards in the mail and you would answer the questionnaire on paper and then mail it back or bring it with you. Now you get a sleek little postcard with your juror ID number on it,” she said.
Potential jurors can use the QR code, type in the e-mail, use the web address, or go to the Wichita County website to get to the portal.
“No matter how you do it, you go into the online system and answer the same questions that were on the paper we originally mailed to you,” Mannon said.
The new software allows potential jurors to pre-qualify, which saves them a trip to the courthouse and saves the county money on fees paid to jurors for their service.
“Only paying 60 qualified jurors instead of paying 130 unqualified jurors can save us money,” Mannon said.
Potential jurors can also enter reasons they think they should be exempt. The clerk’s office will assess the responses and notify them if they are exempt or disqualified. Mannon said safeguards are built in to catch people who fib.
“There's a statute that says, under penalty of perjury, you promised to tell the truth, and you do have to attest to that,” she said.
Defer your duty dates
She said people who have a conflict on dates of jury service, such as medical appointments, can defer their service.
“You can log online and pick your own day within the next six months that you are available,” she said.
Potential jurors once had to call a phone number to learn if they were needed on a jury, but Mannon said those notifications are now made via text or email.
She said people who don’t have access to the internet or don’t know how to use it can contact her office for help in filling out the electronic forms.
New jury assembly room at courthouse possible
Mannon said she will meet with judges soon to discuss turning a large space on the newly renovated fifth floor of the courthouse into a room for jury assembly.
“That way they're not hanging out in the hallways and around the corner. It’s just so chaotic and so packed. It's a mess,” she said.
Jury management software available, but wasn't used until now
Wichita County did not have to buy the new software. It was included in the Tyler Odyssey System the county has used for several years. Mannon said the jury management portion was just never used until she took office.
“We actually got a credit towards our implementation of it for the three years that it wasn't used,” Mannon said.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: New Wichita County jury selection system is in operation
