After jury lists are vetted, more women remain on these lists than men.
According to Jack Davis, head bailiff in the Supreme Court, it is difficult to find men in the country with clean criminal records, who have no pending cases or who are not "strung out on drugs".
Davis told The Nassau Guardian that registered voters could potentially serve on juries after personnel from the Criminal Records Office confirm they have clean records.
Davis said that bailiffs also disqualify more men from the lists when they go to serve summonses and find that the men are on drugs.
Although jurors are chosen by a lottery system, the odds of a predominantly female jury are high, Davis said.  He added that a judge recently excluded a prospective male juror after it was discovered that he was illiterate.
Davis said that most jurors fear reprisals from defendants and are unhappy about the long walk from designated parking at the main post office to downtown.  According to the head bailiff, some jurors have complained that they have encountered defendants on bail while walking to and from the courts.  He also explained that jurors don't like that their names are called during jury selection, as they fear that defendants will remember them.
Jurors also complain about the conditions in the jury room, the head bailiff said.  He acknowledged that sometimes water comes up from the floor in the main Supreme Court building and the bathrooms don't work.  At present, he said, jurors are unable to make tea because the kettle is not working.
According to Davis, there is inadequate seating for jurors in the newly refurbished criminal courts.  There are about 30 seats in each of these courts, but the prospective panel is composed of 48 persons.  Consequently, bailiffs have to scramble to secure additional seating, he said.
In cases with multiple defendants, Davis said the jury pool is often exhausted and bailiffs have to round up potential jurors from the streets.
Davis said jurors receive a stipend of $15 daily for their services, which is paid at the end of their three-month long tour.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian