A POLICY decision by the Government, to widen the pool of persons for selection as jurors, is receiving mixed responses from Jamaicans.

Parliament on Friday passed legislation which will now allow the courts to select persons who are holders of taxpayer registration numbers (TRN) to perform jury service. This is in addition to persons who are on the voters' list.

The Jury Act was also amended to enable the Registrar of the Supreme Court to take charge of the service of summonses to jurors.

The Commissioner of Police now has responsibility to ensure summonses are served to jurors.

Oswald Thomas, Mona School of Business student, said the Government's decision to use the TRN system to select a wider pool of jurors was a good idea.

"If the net is wider and the pool is broader, then I think it adds equity to the system," he told The Gleaner Monday. "Personally, although I would still try and avoid it, I don't have a problem with that system."

He contended that, with a smaller list of persons to draw from, the probability for individuals who had served before to be called a second time was greater.

However, he raised concern about the inefficiency of the justice system, adding that it resulted in long delays before the courts complete cases.

"It can waste a lot of your time and it may affect a person's job," he said.

Increasingly apprehensive

Acknowledging that there was very little evidence that jurors were threatened for carrying out their duties, Thomas said Jamaicans were becoming increasingly apprehensive and reluctant to carry out this pivotal civil duty because of the fear of being targeted.

University of the West Indies (UWI) employee, Tavia Tomlinson, supported the Government's decision, calling it a very good move. She said similar policy has been implemented in other jurisdictions.

"I think it is fair to use the TRN and voter registration system to select jurors," she said.

Lecturer in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Sean Morrison, said he would not want to serve as a juror because of time constraints and the fear of reprisal.

However, he lauded the administration's decision to widen the pool of jurors, noting that the courts could now draw from a wider sociological and economic background.

The amendment to the Jury Act is a companion measure to reduce the backlog of cases in the courts.