Trying to snuff out a culture of apathy toward jury duty, Fulton County Superior Court has been showing its teeth at scofflaws for more than a year with threats of penalties.
On Thursday, the court finally bit — though it wound up being more of a light nip.
Fulton brought dozens of people who disregarded jury summonses, follow-up letters, warning letters and the court's "amnesty month" offer in front of a judge to explain themselves.
It marked a sea change for a court system that has historically done little or nothing about people blowing off their jury duty. It also launched of a series of so-called cattle calls in coming months as the court cracks down on some 8,700 people in its bull's-eye, with deputies serving about 200 orders to appear in court per week.
Among the gamut of explanations heard by Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams:
"I'm on probation right now."
"I never received anything in the mail."
"I'm enlisted in the U.S. Navy."
"I'm suicidal," said one woman who was later excused. "I suffer from manic depression. I tried to kill myself and my kids."
The judges are trying to impress on residents the importance of jury duty in a democracy. Fulton's no-show rate has been as high as 50 percent at times, far higher than in surrounding metro counties and dwarfing the national failure-to-appear rate of 9 percent.
When a high number of people don't show up, it means the jury pool is only partially represented in courtrooms, which compromises defendants' right to be tried by a jury of their peers.
The problem is also costly. Because so few people respond, Fulton has filled jury boxes by mailing far more summonses than should be necessary, costing thousands of dollars more per month in postage.
A new statewide jury system launched this month is expected to help, weeding out invalid names and addresses.
The penalty for dodging duty can be up to $500 and 20 days in jail, but Adams didn't throw the book at anyone Thursday. Of 51 people appearing, 23 were fined $60, and only because they fessed up at the get-go, agreeing to return for service within the next month.
One of them, Joel Serbousek, of Buckhead, said he could have argued to the judge that the summons and letters went to a rental property he owns, so he never got them. "It's either you pay $60, which is not that much, and get out of here, or you sit out there for how many hours," he said.
Another woman paid the fine to leave early even though she had a heart-wrenching excuse — she didn't get the summons at her former Sandy Springs residence, she said, because she's stayed away ever since her fiance committed suicide there.
Sixteen people were excused from duty Thursday, including two convicted felons, and 12 were found in contempt of court but let off with a lecture and a requirement that they return. If they don't, the judge said, they're really really in trouble next time.
The judge even went easy on Corey Dixon, of East Point, one of the few who contested the charge, then admitted receiving a summons. He said he forgot all about his service date.
Harsher penalties may await about a dozen people who, after failing to show up for jury duty, also failed to show up Thursday, despite already being visited by a deputy. Bench warrants will be issued for their arrest, according to plans outlined by the judges earlier this year.
Experts say that for Fulton's crackdown to be effective, it has to keep going and going.
"This is going to be for show," said Paula Hannaford-Agor, director of the Center for Jury Studies at the National Center for State Courts, "but it's going to go on for a while until people get the message."
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