A System of Pleas

Reviews / Votes

The Supreme Court has recognized that the American criminal justice system is from beginning to end a system of bargained guilty pleas. The studies presented here provide a comprehensive tour of this system from pretrial detention and the pressures it exerts though the harsh and often undisclosed collateral consequences that follow seemingly beneficial plea agreements. This book examines in depth the decisions of prosecutors, defense attorneys, and defendants (both adults and juveniles), and it documents the sentencing disparities that keep the river of guilty pleas flowing. Once you've read this book, you'll understand what makes our system of criminal justice go. * Albert W. Alschuler, Julius Kreeger Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology Emeritus, The University of Chicago Law School * The plea bargaining process is the silent giant without which the entire criminal justice system would grind to a halt. Yet, despite its immeasurable societal importance, the process has received scant attention from social scientists. This path breaking book remedies that glaring shortfall. The authors provide an insightful and comprehensive account of the process: the goals, incentives and constraints of the actors involved, its effect on racial minorities, juveniles and innocent defendants, and its impact on society at large. For years to come, no scholarly discussion of plea bargaining will be able to ignore this volume. * Dan Simon, Richard L. and Maria B. Crutcher Professor of Law & Psychology, USC Gould School of Law and Department of Psychology * With over 95% of criminal convictions in the U.S. achieved though guilty pleas, the time has come for social scientists to scrutinize the system, the process, the players, and the outcomes. With timely chapters written by active scholars, this book offers an overview of history and law; an up-to-date look at research on how prosecutors, attorneys and defendants make plea decisions; and the added challenges that confront innocents, juveniles, and minorities. Like it or not, today is the age of the plea bargain - and this book shines a critical spotlight on how it happens. * Saul Kassin, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice * It has taken decades, but the disciplines of criminology, economics, psychology, criminal justice, and history now give plea bargaining the full attention it deserves. Edkins and Redlich have assembled into this one volume the interconnected insights from these disciplines to explain the plea-centered reality of criminal courts in the United States. If you're new to the work of criminal courts, you need this book. And if you're an experienced traveler in the criminal courts and need a fresh way to see daily business, you need this book. * Ronald F. Wright, Gulley Professor of Criminal Law, Wake Forest University *