No evidence shows plea bargaining is more corrupt than trial disposition

Evidence

Even more, the question is whether such abuse is more prevalent in cases that are plea bargained than in cases that go to trial. There is no evidence that plea bargaining is more infected by corruption and discrimination than are other ways of disposing of cases. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1810

Categorization

• QUESTION: What would the data need to look like to test abuse-frequency across disposition types — and why hasn’t it been collected?
• XREF: connects to: Prosecutors offer plea concessions even where guilt evidence is conclusive. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1730; Caseload volume does not determine how much courts rely on plea bargaining — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1768; Plea bargaining persists even when caseload and evidence cannot explain it — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1773 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Plea bargaining dominated criminal case processing long before modern caseload growth #complicates (0.90) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1767
• Criticisms of plea bargaining often actually target features of the criminal justice system generally #complicates (0.90) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1810