Last year, the Massachusetts court system asked nearly 700,000 residents to take enter jury pools across the state.

While few people look forward to getting that notice in the mail, representatives from the state’s Office of the Jury Commissioner said they are pleased with the increasingly large number of residents who do respond. They hope to further bolster compliance by educating the public before they see the inside of a courtroom.

Of the annual summons sent out, an estimated 8 - 10 percent are returned as undeliverable, according to the. Three percent do not respond and an additional 1 percent respond, but do not show up for their jury duty, resulting in 4 percent of the 700,000 considered initially delinquent.

Jury Commissioner Pamela Wood said she was proud of her office’s record of resolving 80-85 percent of those initial delinquencies, crediting the Delinquent Juror Prosecution Program (DJPP) and new technology in their customized computer system.

“There’s always room for improvement, but we are pretty pleased that the percent of delinquencies has dropped year by year,” said Wood, adding that enforcement and new technology “has allowed us to be much more thorough about pursing delinquencies.”

Massachusetts is unique in both their pursuit of delinquents and in how they assemble their jury pool. It is the only state that uses a “street list,” which is compiled from a mandatory annual municipal census of the 351 towns and cities across the Commonwealth. As a result, Massachusetts is able to send summonses to all residents, rather than only those on voter or driver license registration lists.

Wood said the street list system pays off because it can reach all residents regardless of whether they are registered to vote or hold a Massachusetts-issued driver’s license, but she noted the system also presents her office with challenges. Many residents asked to serve as jurors are unfamiliar with the process and fail to respond due to language barriers or their legal status in the country.

Judge Pamela Dashiell, who sits in Roxbury District Court, stressed that all residents are needed to ensure that representative juries are empaneled.

“It’s important to reach out to all communities. You’re entitled to a jury of your peers. For me, it’s critical that the importance of jury service is highlighted across the city,” said Dashiell.

In an effort to accommodate the different ethnic groups of each county, Wood said the office is hoping to make available informational brochures in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Vietnamese in this upcoming year. Wood said the office hopes to add more languages as each county presents a different set of demographics that the office must adjust to.

Wood said the office is working to cultivate partnerships with community organizations such as the Office of New Bostonians to extend their reach into minority communities. She hopes that by working with a recognized community outreach organization, those who are fearful or uncomfortable with the judicial system will be encouraged to either apply promptly for disqualification or fulfill their civic duty.

“Our major issue with folks who do not speak and understand English well enough to serve is helping them understand that they can be disqualified for that reason, that there is no reason to be fearful or to even come to this office,” said Wood.

Under the current system, there are ten reasons that someone could be disqualified for jury service. The first is age: Potential jurors must be at least 18 years old. If a resident is 70 years or older, they do not have to serve— although the age limit will not prohibit someone from serving if they want to.

Other legitimate reasons for disqualification include: relocation out of the judicial district, not being a US citizen, not speaking English, or a medical issue. Those with a felony conviction within seven years or a felony conviction pending are disqualified, as are those who serve as medical custodial caregiver. If someone served on a jury in the previous three years, they do not have to serve.

Wood noted that it was important for residents of Massachusetts to know that even if they were disqualified once, they must respond each time they receive a summons in order to be disqualified again.

She also believes a comprehensive understanding on the part of residents statewide of jury service is a critical factor in producing diverse and representative juries.

The Office of Jury Commission can be reached by telephone at 1-800-THE-JURY or at their website.