Law Commons^™

The Innocence Effect, Avishalom Tor, Oren Gazal-Ayal

Journal Articles

Nearly all felony convictions - about 95 percent - follow guilty pleas, suggesting that plea offers are very attractive to defendants compared to trials. Some scholars argue that plea bargains are too attractive and should be curtailed because they facilitate the wrongful conviction of innocents. Others contend that plea bargains only benefit innocent defendants, providing an alternative to the risk of a harsher sentence at trial. Hence, even while heatedly disputing their desirability, both camps in the debate believe that plea bargains commonly lead innocents to plead guilty. This Article shows, however, that the belief that innocents routinely plead guilty …

Plea Bargaining And The Criminal Defendant's Obligation To Plead Guilty, Gerard V. Bradley

Journal Articles

One criticism of plea bargaining holds that: "So long as defendants routinely expect to receive some form of sentencing consideration in exchange for an admission of guilt, the essence of a system of bargain justice is present."

Taken as a criticism ― that "bargain justice" is defective justice and that the "routine" upon which it depends should be significantly reduced, or eliminated ― this view is quite mistaken. On the assumption (which I believe to be true, but for which I do not argue here) that a large majority of the criminally accused are in reality guilty, many ― and …