Apr 17, 2002 By Jennifer Harr 4 min read

You get an envelope in the mail with Fayette County marked on the outside. As you open it up, you’re wondering if it’s the new tax assessment values, and then you look down and realize it’s a summons for jury duty.

Criminal jury duty.

While some people scramble to the phone in an attempt to get out of the summons, others are eager to fulfill their civic duty. Others still are confused about the workings of the court system and think that what they see on television is a realistic portrayal of the criminal justice system.

To address concerns, fears and questions, the Crime Victims’ Center in Uniontown is holding a panel discussion tonight in the J. Lewis Williams Building at Penn State Fayette campus. The discussion, called “Educating Jurors … What You Can’t Talk About in the Courtroom,” is open to the public and will run from 6 to 9 p.m. Court representatives, former jurors and others will offer their perspectives.

Linda O’Keefe, victim advocate supervisor for the Crime Victims Center, and Jacquie Fritts, executive director of the Crime Victims Center, are hoping that members of the public will come to learn more jury duty.

They noted that the program is to mark April as the month for Victims’ Rights, Sexual Assault Awareness, Violent Crime Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention.

The choice of topic was a matter of practicality.

“We see what happens in the courtroom, and we know there’s a lot to absorb during a trial,” said O’Keefe, who assists victims during the county’s criminal court week.

“For some (jurors) it’s overwhelming to hear all the evidence and then have the judge charge them on the law. The only problem is they can’t stop the trial and say, ‘I can’t understand that,'” she continued.

In her capacity, O’Keefe not only lends support to victims but also helps to educate them on what goes on behind the scenes.

For the past three years, the agency has been holding discussions about different aspects of crime. In its first year, the panel included survivors of crime. The second and third year discussions dealt with juveniles and crime, and crime on college campuses respectively.

The panel assembled for this year’s discussion includes jurors from past criminal cases. In two instances, former jurors the Rev. Bernard W. Carl and Danyle Verzinskie, returned guilty verdicts in separate child abuse cases. A third juror, Larry Bevans, was part of a panel in a sexual assault case that could not reach a decision.

O’Keefe said those jurors will share the deliberation process and what they considered, as well as their feelings on what was presented to them by both prosecutors and defense attorneys.

District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon, defense attorney Mark F. Morrison and Judge John F. Wagner Jr. are scheduled to participate.

Marion Dean, one of the county’s jury commissioners, state police trooper Thomas B. Broadwater and Crime Victims’ Center therapist Christian E. Sohonage are also on the panel.

Dr. Richard A. Ball, the Penn State Fayette professor in charge of the Administration of Justice program is the moderator.

Fritts said her motivation for centering the discussion around jury duty is also in part for her own education.

“I’ve been in the courtroom, but I’ve never been on jury duty,” said Fritts. “I’d like to know what jurors are listening to, and what they process and hear during a trial. Hearing a judge talk about it, and people who sat on a jury, maybe I’ll get a better understanding of that process.”

In addition to the panel discussion, held from 6 to 9 p.m., there will be an intermission where the public can mingle with panelists. A question and answer period will follow after intermission.