( CNN ) -- During the weeks Jerry Sandusky 's trial unfolds in Centre County , Pennsylvania , 12 jurors and four alternates will be able to eat dinners with their families and sleep in their own beds . While they wo n't be isolated and watched by law enforcement , they also wo n't be able to lurk on Twitter , casually watch TV or even talk about the sexual abuse case that careened the Penn State University community into a media storm . `` If I were on the bench , there 's no way this jury would n't have been sequestered , '' CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin said . `` I think it 's so much more difficult for jurors to stay away from the 24-hour news cycle , and a case like this , that touches on societal taboos and famed football . '' Sandusky , 68 , has been under house arrest since being charged with sexually abusing 10 boys for at least 15 years . Prosecutors allege the former Penn State football coach met some of his accusers through Second Mile , a charity he created for underprivileged kids . He has pleaded not guilty to the charges . Opening statements are expected to begin Monday , Judge John Cleland said , and the trial is likely to last about three weeks . The trial will be held in Centre County as prosecutors wanted . Jurors are from the 150,000-person county , too , as Sandusky wanted -- some of the 220 prospective jurors that reported Tuesday had ties to the case 's key players , Penn State or Second Mile . Not sequestering the jury `` was pretty shocking , '' Hostin said . `` Because this is rural Pennsylvania , this is a really small town with so many interconnections , it strikes me as imprudent not to at least keep them away from media reports . '' By keeping an explosive case in a small place , the judge is already placing a lot of trust in jurors -- seven women and five men -- and they 'll get clear directions on what they can and ca n't do , said Richard Gabriel , a jury consultant on the Casey Anthony , O.J . Simpson and Heidi Fleiss cases . Jerry Sandusky 's 'make-believe world ' Sequestered jurors know they 're protected from `` media hordes and potential influences , '' which lets them focus on the evidence , instead conversations around them at the grocery store , Gabriel said . But the stress of being away from family , home and work can affect how they deliberate , too : A closely bonded jury might have an easier time coming to a verdict , whether guilty or not guilty , but small personality conflicts could become major obstructions , he said . Then , there 's the money : It 's not cheap to shelter , feed , transport and protect 12 jurors and four alternates for weeks . `` It 's tough on state budgets because it 's darn expensive , '' Gabriel said . Last year , a judge denied a request to sequester the jury in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray , who was accused in Michael Jackson 's death . The judge said the $ 500,000 cost did n't play a role in his decision , although he acknowledged `` the state of California is undergoing severe financial problems . '' The jury found Murray guilty of involuntary manslaughter . The estimated cost to sequester the jury for Casey Anthony 's trial was $ 361,000 , including transportation , lodging , security and meals . Jurors had access to certain TV channels and could go online to pay bills or order prescriptions , but their actions were closely monitored by sheriff 's deputies , and they saw their families only one afternoon every week . The jury found Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder and most other charges in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter . Judges sometimes sequester juries while they 're deliberating , and Cleland could backtrack on his decision if jurors could n't avoid the case outside the courtroom , Hostin and Gabriel said . But Cleland would be walking into a logistical nightmare of quickly arranging a weeks-long , sheriff-monitored sleepover for 16 . `` Judges , when they make a ruling like that , are going to stick by it , '' Gabriel said . `` Jurors in these high-profile cases are pretty careful about not talking to anybody , and judges get severe with news organizations -- 'You even come close to any of these jurors before this trial , and the wrath of God will come down . ' `` Unless the courts are prepared , they can get really messy . ''
Jurors for Jerry Sandusky 's sexual abuse trial wo n't be sequestered . Sequestered juries are protected from media reports but face stress of being away . Cost can run into hundreds of thousands to house , feed , and protect jurors during trials . CNN legal analyst : `` Much more difficult for jurors to stay away from the 24-hour news cycle ''