NCJ Number
164132
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 23 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1996) Pages: 54-57
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Plea bargaining is widespread and has both proponents and opponents among prosecutors and police; regardless of their opinions, police need to focus on their duties and not let the methods used by the court system affect their professionalism.
Abstract
Prosecutors depend on plea negotiations due to their enormous caseloads. New York City disposed of 54,386 criminal cases in 1991. Just over 45,000 involved a negotiated outcome, 5,000 were dropped, only 3,155 resulted in a trial, and the tried cases produced just over 2,000 convictions. The chief investigator for the prosecutor's office in Port Huron, Mich. estimates that the office and the courts would have to double their staffs to avoid plea bargaining. Police officers and victims are those most likely to express concerns about plea bargaining. Victims usually want as much punishment as possible for the offenders, and police officers can become embittered and unmotivated when criminals receive lower penalties as a result of a plea bargain. Eliminating such an entrenched method of operation would probably require a groundswell of public support. In the meantime, police officers need avoid becoming unsettled by perceived injustices in post-arrest processes. Photograph