Continued from here.
Our deliberation wasn’t as set as I thought it would be, for the longest it seemed we were 11 - not guilty, 1 - guilty. Through discussion and around the table opinions however, eventually everyone came to terms with the facts. As it stood, we all had reasonable doubt regarding the situation and the conditions at hand, too much so, and that meant there wasn’t enough to declare the defendant solely responsible, thus making him guilty. Had it been a civil case, I think we would’ve been able to arrive at a decision much faster. It’s just a lot easier when you can divvy up the blame.
And this is gonna sound cheesy I know it, but everyone was really proud of one another afterwards. Here we were, 12 strangers who came together by chance to decide this young man’s fate. Yet we all stepped up with the seriousness and dedication it required and though we were largely diverse (everything from ethnicity to religion), none of it seeped in to how we treated one another or the verdict itself.
Later, as we stood in line to check out, we all said our goodbyes with phone numbers exchanged and a promise to see one another soon. I may have only been with these people for six days, but I realized it’s the circumstance in which you are with someone that can determine how well you get to know one another, not necessarily by how much time has passed.
While I’m glad to return to work, a part of me is gonna slightly miss the routine of the whole thing. All I can say to others is, don’t be so quick to plan your escape when you receive that summons in the mail. If anything, they know all about the “racist excuse”.
:)
