Plea Bargaining

Paper Summary:

This paper talks about the role plea bargains hold in the judicial system of the United States. The author gives reasons why plea bargaining is a necessary part of the United States' criminal justice system even though some may argue that the guilty benefit from plea bargaining and that the rights of the defendant are sacrificed by plea bargaining. The paper argues that without a plea bargaining system, the criminal justice system would simply break down due to the overcrowding conditions in jails and prisons. The paper briefly discusses some reasons defendants might agree to plea bargain and also analyzes how the rate of plea bargains can be decreased.

From the Paper:

"It appears that plea bargains will remain as an integral part of our justice system. Many courts have made major headway in reducing the complexity of civil cases. However, it is more difficult to simplify criminal procedures because defendants are protected in many ways by our Constitution. Court administrators live with the fear that their budgets will be cut and are realistic in their beliefs that their chances of getting more money are few."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Neubauer, D. (2002) America's Courts and the Criminal Justice System. Retrieved June 2, 2006, from: https://mycampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp
• Nolo (2006). Defendants' incentives for accepting plea bargains. Retrieved June 2, 2006, from: http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/ObjectID/4E8D6815-1797-46FC- 8F8AB242FFE6391A/catID/D4C65461-8D33-482C- 92FCEA7F2ADED29A/104/143/272/ART/
• PBS (2004). The plea. Retrieved June 2, 2006, from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/plea/
• Plea Bargain (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 2, 2006, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plea_bargain

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