FAQs
If you experience any technical issues while using the online response system, please email your response to the Jury Coordinator at: deschutes.jury@ojd.state.or.us. Make sure to include your term of service, juror number and juror name.
Your service number is located at the top of the summons sent to you in the mail. It is located underneath the barcode.
You don't need to bring anything with you but please know your juror number. You are welcome to bring a book, magazine, laptop computer, etc. Wireless internet is available in the jury assembly room.
A pocketknife or any other sharp instrument. An airport-type security metal and image scanner station is located at the entrance to the Justice Building. Purses, backpacks, briefcases, etc. will be searched. It is a Class C felony for any person to intentionally possess a weapon in a court facility (ORS 166.370). The Deschutes County Sheriff enforces this prohibition against weapons.
Parking is available in two locations: In the County parking lot on the corner of Wall Street and Lafayette Avenue OR In the City of Bend lot located behind 70 NW Newport Avenue. Park in the back area enclosed by the traffic barriers. You must display your received parking permit on your dashboard. If you require ADA accessible parking, please contact the jury coordinator for locations of accessible parking. Parking Map
Yes, everyone attends jury orientation. You may choose to complete orientation online or in person. If you prefer in person orientation, instruction will be provided when you call into the Jury Recording (Jury Information Line), or by accessing the Online Jury Call information web page.
Anyone with a disability who needs accommodation to participate in jury service should advise the jury coordinator of the disability and the type of accommodation needed at least four days prior to the term. Assistive Listening System (ALS) devices are available in the jury assembly room, all courtrooms and jury deliberation rooms.
Juror per diem is established by the legislature at $10.00 per day for the first two days and $25.00 per day for each day thereafter. Round trip mileage reimbursement is $0.20/mile for the vehicle mileage traveled between your home and the courthouse. Additional information regarding jury pay will be provided when you report for jury duty.
Oregon law (ORS 10.090) provides that it is an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discharge, intimidate, or coerce an employee due to their service as a juror. An employee who believes their employer has violated the law may file a civil suit or file a complaint with the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries.
Let the Jury Coordinator know if your employer requires verification of your jury service. Each day you report, we will have a verification form available for you.
Requests for days off during your term of jury service may be arranged IN ADVANCE by making the request on the Juror Response Form that you received with your summons. When you are instructed to report, we are relying on you being available for the full length of a trial or grand jury. In the event you become ill and can't appear, it is mandatory that you call the jury coordinator during weekday business hours.
Requests for deferral with good cause may be made by making the request on the Juror Response Form that you received with your summons. You will receive a postcard or email message notifying you of the Court's decision. The new term must be within one year from the date you are summoned to appear. Please let the Court know which months would be more convenient.
If you are age 70 or older or are a woman breast-feeding a child and you ask to be excused, the Court must excuse you from service. Please make the request on the Juror Response Form that you received with your summons, and you will be excused from jury service. The Circuit Court may also excuse you if:
- (a) jury service causes you, your family, or your employer undue hardship or extreme inconvenience; or,
- (b) you are the sole caregiver for a child or other dependent, personally attend to the dependent during the Court's normal hours, and are unable to afford daycare or make other arrangements for the care of the dependent.
The Court will weigh the basis for your excuse against its need for jurors. You must show good cause to the Court why you should be excused under these standards. The Court may deny a request for excuse under (a) or (b) above and require you to serve or defer your jury duty to a later date.
If you need to ask to be excused because your employer will not pay you for lost time and this causes you a financial hardship, please have your employer contact the jury coordinator by email, fax or mail explaining company policy. In addition, you must provide a written explanation to be excused. Email or mail the Juror Response Form that you received with your summons.
If you no longer live in Deschutes County, are not a citizen of the United States, or are under the age of 18, you do not qualify to serve as a juror. Contact the jury coordinator by email or hard copy in writing, and you will be excused from jury service. You will receive a postcard or email message notifying you of the Court's decision.
No, please do not mail a hard copy if you have already e-mailed information to the court.
Grand Jury's principal function is to hear evidence to determine if there is probable cause that one or more persons committed an offense, and thus should be charged. Grand Jury term is 4 weeks, and jurors attend either 2 or 3 days per week during their 4-week term. Grand Jurors report to the Jury Assembly Room at the Deschutes County Courthouse at 8:15 am on the first day of their term, to attend Grand Jury orientation. Two groups of 7 jurors will be randomly selected from Grand Jury attendees. Group A will serve on Tuesday and Thursday, and Group B will serve Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The jurors not selected for either of these groups are excused for the remainder of the term.
Your status will change to "Checked In" once you physically report for Jury Duty. Until then, your status will remain as "Not Checked In".
Security
Security at the Courthouse is provided by Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. Security equipment in use at the Courthouse includes magnetometers (walk-through metal detectors), x-ray scanners, and hand held metal detectors. If you have a pacemaker, tell the security officer about it before you enter the metal detector. The security screening process can create long lines of people waiting to enter the courthouse during peak hours.
The main objective of Courthouse security is to maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone in the building. Everyone’s cooperation is needed in order to achieve this very important goal. Weapons of any kind are strictly prohibited and may be confiscated. Among items prohibited from court facilities are guns, knives, ammunition, pepper spray, mace, razor blades, illegal drugs and any other type of dangerous or hazardous material or property. A variety of items may be prohibited because they are hazardous or could be used as potential weapons. These include any object that is sharp, pointed or with a cutting blade regardless of length. If you are unsure if an item is allowed or not, the safest option is to not bring it into the courthouse.
Courthouse security will not hold unauthorized items for return later. Any prohibited item that is brought to the courthouse will be taken from you and permanently destroyed.