PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Jurors in Pierce County are getting a big pay raise.
Thanks to a pilot program that began on Oct. 14, Pierce County jurors will now be paid $100 a day— up from $10 a day previously. The hope is that the pay raise will allow a wider variety of people to participate.
A statewide jury demographic survey conducted by Seattle University in partnership with the Minority and Justice Commission showed that Black, American Indian and Alaska Native people were generally underrepresented on juries. It also showed that combined household income was a significant indicator of a potential juror's ability to participate in jury service.
"If you belong or work for a company that's not paying you for your jury service, then you are not inclined to go participate," said Laurie Louise Sale, a court program analyst for Washington Courts and the project manager for the Pierce County Juror Pay Pilot Program. "You're saying to yourself, 'Well gosh, I really want to go do my civic duty, it would be great to do that, but I need to feed my family.'"
The new rate of $100 a day was chosen to be commensurate with the average daily wage, Sale said.
"From the basic level we're hoping that the increase in juror pay will allow folks to participate - well gosh, be excited to participate," Sale said.
There are several reasons why the court system is seeking to boost the diversity of those who respond to a jury summons. Studies have shown that more diverse juries deliberate over the facts of a case for longer, demonstrate a deeper understanding of how to apply the relevant law, and tend to be more accurate - leading to fewer wrongful convictions.
"The diversity of perspectives and backgrounds has really proven to give juries more efficiency, and just be more effective in pretty much every instance that has been measured in the nation over the last many, many years," Sale said.
Over the course of the pilot, the Pierce County Court system will be tracking the demographics of those who respond to their jury summons to see if the program has moved the needle. If things go well, Sale hopes they can replicate this study throughout the state.
This pilot represents the first update to juror pay in over half a century. The $10 per day juror wage was decided on in 1959.
"It's way beyond time to make this initiative work," Sale said.
At the conclusion of the study, the court system will compile a new report and present its findings to the legislature in 2025.
