Over 95% of criminal convictions are by guilty plea. Trials are the rarity, and while much has been written on jury decision making and various parts of the trial process, the field has been largely silent on the practice that is most likely to affect an individual charged with a crime: plea bargaining. A System of Pleas: Social Science's Contributions to the Real Legal System brings together into one resource the burgeoning body of research on plea bargaining. Drawing attention to the fact that convictions today are nearly synonymous with guilty pleas, this contributed volume begins with an overview and history of plea bargaining, with chapters focusing on defendants, defense attorneys and prosecutors and plea bargains; influences on plea decision-making, including race, juvenile justice system involvement, and innocence; and the results of a "system of pleas", such as sentencing disparities and mass incarceration, collateral consequences, and disenfranchisement. A concluding chapter by the volume's editors examines ways to move forward within an entrenched system. An excellent reference tool for furthering both research and practice, A System of Pleas is a must-have for academics and legal professionals interested in the fields of criminal justice, psychology and law, and related disciplines.

While arbitration was robust in colonial and early America, dispute resolution lost its footing to the court system as the United States grew into a bustling and burgeoning country. And while dispute resolution processes emerged briefly from time to time, they were dormant until the enactment of the Federal Arbitration Act and collective bargaining grew out of the labor movement. But it wasn't until 1976, when Frank Sander delivered his famous remarks at the Pound Conference, that the modern dispute resolution movement was born. By the year 2000, alternative dispute resolution had transformed from a populist rebellion against the judicial system to mainstream legal practice. Today, lawyers and retiring judges look to arbitration and mediation for a career pivot, and law schools train law students in the finer arts of dispute resolution practice as both providers and advocates. Discussions in Dispute Resolution brings together the modern dispute resolution field's most influential commentaries in its first few decades and reflects on what makes these pieces so important. This book collects 16 foundational writings, four pieces from each of the field's primary subfields--negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and public policy. Each piece has four commenters who answer the question: why is this work a foundational piece in the dispute resolution field? The purpose in asking this simple question is fourfold: to hail the field's foundational generation and their work, to bring a fresh look at these articles, to engage the articles' original authors where possible, and to challenge the articles with the benefit of hindsight. Where possible, the book gives the authors of the original pieces the opportunity either to reflect on the piece itself or to respond to the other commenters.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1875.

The book examined the concept of plea bargaining under the Nigeria criminal justice system. Plea begins as practiced today in Nigeria was not known or provided for in any Nigeria statues before the Economic and Financial crimes commission was established through the provision of section 1 of the Economic and Financial crimes commission (Establishment) Acts, 2004. Plea bargain was only seen for the first time after the establishment of the commission in 2004 under the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasenjo as the president of Nigeria. The application of plea bargain by the Economic and Financial Crime commission is usually based on the provision of section 14(2) of the enabling law that gives the Commission power to compound any offence punishable under the act of accepting the sum of money.

In this book, Erik Luna and Marianne Wade examine the considerable powers of the American prosecutor and look abroad in order to learn valuable lessons from a transnational examination of prosecutorial authority. They explore parallels and distinctions in the processes available to and decisions made by prosecutors in the United States and Europe. Through the varied topics covered by the contributors on both sides of the Atlantic, they demonstrate how the enhanced role of the prosecutor represents a crossroads for criminal justice with weighty legal and socio-economic consequences.

"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

The social construction of crime is often out of proportion to the threat posed. The media and advocacy groups shine a spotlight on some crimes and ignore others. Street crime is highlighted as putting everyone at risk of victimization, while the greater social harms from corporate malfeasance receive far less attention. Social arrangements dictate what is defined as crime and the punishments for those who engage in the proscribed behavior. Interest groups promote their agendas by appealing to public fears. Justifications often have no basis in fact, but the public accepts the exaggerations and blames the targeted offenders. The net-widening effect of more laws and more punishment catches those least able to defend themselves. This innovative alternative to traditional textbooks provides insightful observations of myths and trends in criminal justice. Fourteen chapters challenge misconceptions about specific crimes or aspects of the criminal justice system. Kappeler and Potter dissect popular images of crimes and criminals in a cogent, compelling, and engaging manner. They trace the social construction of each issue and identify the misleading statistics and fears that form the basis of myths—and the collateral damage of basing policies on mythical beliefs. The authors encourage skepticism about commonly accepted beliefs, offer readers a fresh perspective, and urge them to analyze important issues from novel vantage points.