A $287,000 dollar cut to Tulsa County’s juror budget could cost the sheriff nearly $2 million in additional jail costs.
District Judge James Caputo expects nine weeks of canceled trials, which will affect how long inmates stay at the jail. He said the court is figuring out what it can do.
"We've just installed some new electronics that are going to help reduce costs for the jurors," Caputo said. "Of course, these three weeks have eliminated three weeks of jury trials, which we can then use some of those nine weeks to recover these three weeks. But that's what we're trying to find out right now."
Three weeks is the amount of time jury duty was canceled this month after a failed drain pipe caused the courthouse basement to flood.
The year’s trial schedule was set in January, and canceled trials will be pushed back seven to eight months. Some civil judges are taking on criminal trials to help alleviate the situation.
