The Sociologist on Jury Duty
![handle is hein.journals/crim8 and id is 197 raw text is: THE SOCIOLOGIST ON JURY DUTY
Arnold Birenbaum
this paper is the result of observations made during my first
encounter with the system of jury service used in the state of
New York. It reflects the collective experience I and my
fellow prospective jurors underwent during our term of
service in June, 1967. Through a discussion of these events I
will attempt to examine the process by which lower-level
officials in the courts strive to maintain an adequate supply
of prospective jurors, despite uncertainty as to when they
will be asked to set in motion the procedure by which a jury
is picked.
While the waiting room provides jurors with a setting for
the formation of a common definition of the situation which
the clerk seeks to get them to accept, it provides a setting for
the formation of counterdefinitions as well. Here large
numbers of people are brought together in a relatively loose
social situation. To illustrate, let us look at the following
conditions which make the formation of a counterdefinition
ARNOLD BIRENBAUM has conducted research in the fields of public
health, mental retardation, and the social management of stigma. He has
taught at the City College of New York, City University, and Wheaton
College, in Norton Massachusetts.
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The Sociologist on Jury Duty
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