With the increasing interest of the South Australian Government with more representative models of engaging with its citizens, the idea of using Citizen Juries (CJ's) is gathering momentum.
Whilst not new, in fact CJ's were seen as a "radical alternative for social research" in 2002 and even earlier, its principles and processes are worthy of note.
User warning, Citizens Juries require considerable resources (financial, physical and human) and they are not a quick fix to community issues. They are suited to complex situations where their format fits the circumstances. Some of the benefits of Citizens Juries (if run correctly) is that the "jurors" get the time they need to reflect and deliberate on specific information; they get to scrutinise the information and are supported to develop a set of conclusions and recommendations to inform decision makers. These benefits are not always apparent in other forms of community engagement e.g. focus groups.
Whilst not new, in fact CJ's were seen as a "radical alternative for social research" in 2002 and even earlier, its principles and processes are worthy of note.
User warning, Citizens Juries require considerable resources (financial, physical and human) and they are not a quick fix to community issues. They are suited to complex situations where their format fits the circumstances. Some of the benefits of Citizens Juries (if run correctly) is that the "jurors" get the time they need to reflect and deliberate on specific information; they get to scrutinise the information and are supported to develop a set of conclusions and recommendations to inform decision makers. These benefits are not always apparent in other forms of community engagement e.g. focus groups.
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