2010 Annual Report - Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands

THE JURY MANAGEMENT DIVISION
is responsible for overseeing the preparation of prospective
jurors for criminal and civil jury trials at the Superior Court,
including but not limited to qualifying, excusing, disqualifying
and rescheduling jurors. The office is also responsible for sending
out all questionnaires and summons to prospective jurors.
Individuals are randomly selected from a combined list of voter
registration rolls and licensed drivers. The needs of the Court
determine the number of jurors who are required to appear for
specific service dates and times.
This Division, in conjunction with the Division of Information
Technology, has been working extensively to upgrade its current
jury management software which should allow them to include
additional individuals within the jury selection pool. The Bureau
of Motor Vehicles and the Boards of Election in both districts
have assisted in this regard by providing needed data to populate
the new jury management system.
The Jury Management Division will remain focused on working
cohesively with all segments of the Court to facilitate the
establishment of an environment that will encourage jurors to
be more responsive and willing to serve on jury duty. This will
involve being able to simplify the jury selection process while
reducing the large number of “undeliverable mail” and increasing
the amount of responses to facilitate an overall increase in the
entire jury pool. It is expected that, the installation of the new
jury management software, and the training of the staff, will
be undertaken within Fiscal Year 2011 and should be fully
implemented and functional at the beginning of FY 2012.
JURY MANAGEMENT STATISTICS: During
FY2010, jurors served a total of 179 days on jury panels with the
outlaying cost for their service totaling $380,000.52 district wide
as noted in the breakdown below:
DISTRICT Jury Fees Transportation
Allowance
Juror Meals
TOTAL
St. Thomas - St. John $135,180.00 $21,630.00 $73,829.63 $230,639.63
St. Croix $100,100.00 $15,835.00 $33,425.89 $149,360.89
TOTALS $235,280.00 $37,465.00 $107,255.52 $380,000.52
Superior Court of the Virgin Islands
FY 2010: Juror Expenses
LAW LIBRARY It is the goal and objective of the Superior
Court’s Law Library Services to serve the legal and non-legal
community. This is accomplished by providing open access to
the Library’s collections and services for the judges, attorneys
and members of the community. Utilizing printed material and
technology, the Law Library continues to provide up-to-date
resources in an efficient and professional manner while utilizing
the latest development in technology to positively facilitate the
required legal research and the research process.
Territorially, the Law Library is the home of a wealth of legal
information, including court opinions and case law. The Library’s
current collection in the District of St. Thomas-St. John includes
over 6,480 books and a limited number of periodicals that are
updated on a regular basis; and, in the District of St. Croix,
there is a current collection of 16,688 volumes in addition to a
comprehensive historical collection of legal material. Additional
information resources include the Westlaw database and
resources from Lexis Nexis to include, among other things, VI
Session Laws and the Virgin Islands Primary Law on disc. An
extensive listing of our resources may be obtained from the
Law Library.
THE FACILITIES MAINTENANCE DIVISION
of the Superior Court are responsible for the maintenance and
upkeep of its facilities within the respective districts. In the
District of St. Thomas-St. John, this includes the five facilities
that are currently utilized by the Court, at the following sites:
the Alexander Farrelly Justice Center, the Magistrate Division
in Barbel Plaza South, the Rising Stars Panyards in Barbel Plaza
North and Long Bay on St. Thomas; and, the Boulon Center on St.
John. In the District of St. Croix, this includes the Court’s facilities
at the R. H. Amphlett Leader Justice Complex in Kingshill, St.
Croix and the Hannah’s Rest Facility in Frederiksted, St. Croix.
This division is charged with the responsibility of making routine
repairs to the buildings, structures and accessories – including
normally recurring repairs and preventive maintenance within
the following areas: interior and exterior of the buildings,
plumbing, air conditioning and ventilation; electrical repair;
replacement and maintenance of indoor and outdoor lighting
fixtures, maintenance painting and glazing, hardware, locks,
keys, elevators and similar equipment; and, from time to time,
miscellaneous building repairs. At various times, this may involve
soliciting and utilizing external companies to provide major or
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