Introduction : a system of pleas / Vanessa A Edkins and Allison D. Redlich -- Arriving at a system of pleas : the history and state of plea bargaining / Lucian E. Dervan -- Defendant decision-making in plea bargains / Shawn D. Bushway -- Defense attorneys and plea bargains / Kelsey S. Henderson -- Prosecutors and plea bargains / Bryan C. McCannon -- Race and plea bargaining / Brian D. Johnson and Rebecca Richardson -- Juvenile justice and plea bargaining / Allison D. Redlich, Tina Zottoli, and Tarika Daftary-Kapur -- Innocence and plea bargaining / Miko M. Wilford and Annmarie Khairalla -- Sentencing disparity and mass incarceration / Rhys Hester -- Collateral consequences and disenfranchisement / Vanessa A. Edkins -- Conclusion : moving forward in a system of pleas / Allison D. Redlich and Vanessa A. Edkins.
Summary:
Social science research needs to expand beyond the courtroom and the jury room to address the multitude of factors involved in plea decisions and the influences at work on the various legal system players (e.g., defendants, defense attorneys, prosecutors, etc.). This work is both a culmination of the current state of plea bargaining research and a call to action for future researchers. All of the areas addressed - from innocents pleading guilty to prosecutor charging decisions to mass incarceration and felon disenfranchisement - merge to create a picture of our current criminal justice system as it really is, and how social science can move forward within it.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.