Defense attorneys acknowledge that most of their clients are factually guilty.

Evidence

Experienced defense attorneys readily admit that most of their clients are guilty. As one put it: e) When somebody’s apprehended in the midst of a break-in, caught in a store or a house, you have to go some to explain what you’re doing there at two or three o’clock in the morning. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1728

Categorization

• QUESTION: Does the admission reflect how defense work is actually perceived, or just the screened sample reaching private counsel? Worth checking against conviction-rate data.
• XREF: connects to: Unconscious bias affects even well-intentioned criminal defense attorneys.; Even well-intentioned defense attorneys harbor an unacknowledged bias blind spot — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 32; Defense attorneys show measurable race bias despite their professional role defending clients. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 672 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Unconscious bias affects even well-intentioned criminal defense attorneys. #complicates (0.90)
• Even well-intentioned defense attorneys harbor an unacknowledged bias blind spot #complicates (0.90) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 32
• Defense attorneys show measurable race bias despite their professional role defending clients. #complicates (0.90) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 672
• Bias affects even well-intentioned egalitarian defense attorneys who represent the accused #complicates (0.90) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 665
• Defense attorneys must confront their own bias before fixing the system #complicates (0.90) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 703
• Guilty pleas dominate criminal case disposition overwhelmingly #expands (0.90) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 547
• Criminal defense attorneys exhibit implicit racial bias affecting client outcomes #complicates (0.90)