Plea Bargaining: The Experiences of Prosecutors, Judges, and Defense Attorneys

by Milton Heumann

Overview

"That relatively few criminal cases in this country are resolved by full Perry Mason-style strials is fairly common knowledge. Most cases are settled by a guilty plea after some form of negotiation over the charge or sentence. But why? The standard explanation is case pressure: the enormous volume of criminal cases, to be processed with limited staff, time and resources. . . . But a large body of new empirical research now demands that we re-examine plea negotiation. Milton Heumann's book, Plea Bargaining, strongly and explicitly attacks the case-pressure argument and suggests an alternative explanation for plea bargaining based on the adaptation of attorneys and judges to the local criminal court. The book is a significant and welcome addition to the literature. Heumann's investigation of case pressure and plea negotiation demonstrates solid research and careful analysis."—Michigan Law Review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226778242
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	05/30/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	228
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Research Design
3. The Context of Adaptation
4. Adapting to Plea Bargaining: Defense Attorneys
5. Adapting to Plea Bargaining: Prosecutors
6. Adapting to Plea Bargaining: Judges
7. Conclusions and Implications
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index