Plea Bargaining

Paper Summary:

The paper presents the hypothesis that the public is not supportive of plea bargaining in cases of violent crimes. The paper looks at previous studies, with a focus on Sergio Herzog's study "The Relationship Between Public Perceptions of Crime Seriousness and Support for Plea-Bargaining in Israel: A Factorial-Survey Approach". The paper proposes a study where eight plea bargaining scenarios will be presented to individuals. The paper hopes to show that public opinion has impacted the sentencing decisions of courts regardless of plea bargains.

Outline:
Introduction
Prior Studies
Variables for this Study
Scenarios of Plea Bargaining
Independent Variables

From the Paper:

"Plea bargaining is not a legal punishment assigned to criminal behavior, but is a tool that has been utilized by an overburdened legal system, which is poorly equipped to otherwise deal with the enormous numbers of criminal cases that filter through the system. Without plea bargaining, law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys and finders of fact would be required to meet the legal definitions of the rules of evidence, which could involve lengthy processes and costs associated with bringing those cases to trial and through the court system."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bibas, S. (2005). White-Collar Plea Bargaining and Sentencing after Booker. William and Mary Law Review, 47(3), 721+. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5013705813
• Brown, M. P., & Bunnell, S. E. (2006). Negotiating Justice: Prosecutorial Perspectives on Federal Plea Bargaining in the District of Columbia. American Criminal Law Review, 43(3), 1063+. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5015688864
• Champion, D. J. (1994). A Criminal Justice Sourcebook A Criminal Justice Sourcebook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99126490
• Champion, D. J., & Mays, G. L. (1991). Transferring Juveniles to Criminal Courts: Trends and Implications for Criminal Justice. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=29300422
• Fisher, G. (2000). Plea Bargaining's Triumph. Yale Law Journal, 109(5), 855. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001198695

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• Research Paper # 68171 : "Plea Bargaining"

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