USING A COMPUTER AND A PREQUALIFYING QUESTIONNAIRE TO ESTABLISH A 'PANEL' OF NAMES, THE DETROIT 'ONE DAY/ ONE TRIAL' SYSTEM ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR JURORS TO WAIT FOR LONG PERIODS AT THE COURTHOUSE AND SIGNIFICANTLY CUTS THE JURY PAYROLL. IT ENCOURAGES PROFESSIONAL PERSONS AND OTHERS WHO TRADITIONALLY APPLY FOR EXEMPTIONS TO SERVE. AS A RESULT, A WIDER CROSS SECTION OF THE COMMUNITY IS REPRESENTED ON THE JURY. UNDER THIS SYSTEM A PANEL OF NAMES IS CALLED FOR A CERTAIN DATE; THE NUMBER CALLED IS DETERMINED BY THE NUMBER OF JUDGES SITTING, THE TYPES OF CASES SCHEDULED, AND AN EDUCATED GUESS OF THE NUMBER NEEDED. PROSPECTIVE JURORS ARE SENT A PREQUALIFYING QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE THEY ARE CALLED. THIS NOT ONLY HELPS SCREEN OUT THOSE PROHIBITED BY LAW FROM SERVING ON A JURY, BUT ALSO ELIMINATES A SEPARATE HEARING TO QUALIFY JURORS. ONLY 1.3 PERCENT OF THOSE ASKED TO SERVE UNDER THE NEW SYSTEM REQUEST A SEPARATE HEARING TO REQUEST EXCLUSION. ONCE CHOSEN, THE INDIVIDUAL SPENDS ONE DAY DURING WHICH HE OR SHE IS SENT TO THE VARIOUS COURTROOMS WHICH NEED JURIES. IF HE IS NOT CHOSEN, HE IMMEDIATELY RETURNS TO THE JURY ROOM. IF AT THE END OF THE DAY HE HAS NOT BEEN CHOSEN FOR ANY JURY, HE IS EXCUSED, AND HIS JURY DUTY FOR ONE YEAR IS CONSIDERED COMPLETE. IF CHOSEN, THE JUROR SERVES THE LENGTH OF THE TRIAL, AN AVERAGE OF THREE DAYS. SINCE IT IS THE WAITING, NOT THE SERVING ON THE JURY, THAT CAUSES MOST DISSATISFACTION WITH JURY DUTY, THE SYSTEM IMPROVES JUROR MORALE. UNDER THIS NEW SYSTEM 9,975 PERSONS WERE INVOLVED AS JURORS FOR A 6-MONTH PERIOD, COMPARED TO 1,348 FOR THE SAME PERIOD IN PREVIOUS YEARS. ALTHOUGH JURY TRIALS IN WAYNE COUNTY INCREASED 24 PERCENT OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR, THERE WAS NO INCREASE IN JUROR TRIAL DAYS, WHICH CUT THE COST PER TRIAL FROM $862 TO $646. PROJECTED ANNUAL SAVINGS ARE ESTIMATED AT ABOUT $288,000. THE SYSTEM ALSO CUTS TIME AVAILABLE FOR JURY TAMPERING IN ANY FORM AND SECURES A MORE REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF THE POPULATON FOR JURY DUTY. JUDGES AND LAWYERS ARE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE PROGRAM. (GLR)