It would be considered a biased jury pool. A jury is supposed to be a selection of people from across the board. Employed and unemployed. Jury duty is everyone's duty... it's a small cost of our justice system.

Because in the justice system, the defendant is supposed to be judged by a jury of their peers, not just their unemployed peers or their peers who happen to have the time free in their schedule. Jury duty is a hassle, even moreso when you have to miss work for it, but making jury duty selective to favour any specific type of citezen over another for service would only serve to skew the justice system further.

There are a difference in unemployed people in the workforce and out of the workforce. There are more unemployed people that are out of the work force that are disabled that couldn't easily make it to jury duty.

They have enough time? When someone is unemployed, their job is FINDING a job. Trust me, I know. It is get up in the morning, get cleaned up, print up several resumes, take a phone book, a newspaper, and a map. Start going to every business and every temp agency you can find. Fill out applications, drop off resumes, and, hopefully, have a few interviews. Then, when that is done, you get the new newspaper, go through it, fill out envelopes and stuff them with resumes in response to ads in the paper. Then go online, and search for local jobs. Any you have not done, you now get ready to mail. While doing that, you also make lists of fax numbers and company names, so you can fax copies to those places that accept them. You also email those places that have email acceptances. You also plan out your day of where to go the next day, who to call to check up on dropped-off applications/resumes, and make notes to call the temporary agencies for updates on jobs. Only then, is your day done. Oh, you also have to keep meticulous records as to where you have been and who you spoke to, so you do not inundate places you have already been, and so you know who to follow up with.

Who says they have enough time? I'm unemployed, and I have two small kids at home to take care of. Between searching job postings, sending out resumes, driving around making cold contacts AND taking care of my family (household chores, cooking meals, spending time with the kids) I don't have ANY time left to shave my legs, let alone serve jury duty! Who are you to assume we all have gads of free time, just because we don't have PAYING jobs?

This is only my theory. Unemployed people are just that, unemployed. they have a lot of extra time to watch television and reading the newspapers. that means watching the news broadcasts. it would be difficult to pool these people for jury duty, simply because they watch too much television and are familiar with most of the current events. It would be difficult for both attorneys to agree on an unemployed person for jury duty, for this reason. Too much knowledge about existing criminal cases.

It's not about having time, it's about taking your turn doing your Civil Duty. Honestly, I don't understand what the big deal is. I've served on a Jury and found it interestng to see how the system works.