C 7 – Final
1. The plea bargaining process in the current criminal justice system
The plea bargaining process supports the criminal justice system by helping the judges manage their caseloads in a quicker manner. In courtroom 302, the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards said, that “The focus was not on rehabilitation or even deterrence, but merely on the disposal of cases, the quicker, the better” (Bogira, 2005, p. 41). Also, we learned in class that the criminal system will collapse if everybody chooses to go to trial instead of opting for the plea bargain.” (Dalton, class lecture, February 9, 2016).
The plea bargaining process undermines the criminal system by coercing innocent defenders to admit guilt to crimes they did not commit. In the Introduction to Criminal justice, Douglas Guidorizzi, one of the plea bargain critics, claims that “plea bargaining undermines the integrity of the criminal system by subverting many of its values; that it allows criminals to “get away” with lenient sentences, thereby undermining the deterrent effect of criminal sanctions; and that it results in the possible coercion of innocent defendants to plead guilty” (Kurbin & Stucky, …show more content…
(Dalton, class lecture, March 01, 2016). These crimes of public order can seem to be unimportant or harmless, but they can cause someone to have a lot of troubles with the law. For example, as we discussed in class concerning the Henry Gates case. Henry Gates did not commit any crimes but by losing his temper and raising his voice and arguing with the police officers caused him to get arrested for disorderly conduct. The Henry Gates arrest case had received extensive media coverage since he was a well-known and respected African-American university professor with high socioeconomic status. Henry Gates also has strong connections and has close personal relations with President
1. The plea bargaining process in the current criminal justice system
The plea bargaining process supports the criminal justice system by helping the judges manage their caseloads in a quicker manner. In courtroom 302, the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards said, that “The focus was not on rehabilitation or even deterrence, but merely on the disposal of cases, the quicker, the better” (Bogira, 2005, p. 41). Also, we learned in class that the criminal system will collapse if everybody chooses to go to trial instead of opting for the plea bargain.” (Dalton, class lecture, February 9, 2016).
The plea bargaining process undermines the criminal system by coercing innocent defenders to admit guilt to crimes they did not commit. In the Introduction to Criminal justice, Douglas Guidorizzi, one of the plea bargain critics, claims that “plea bargaining undermines the integrity of the criminal system by subverting many of its values; that it allows criminals to “get away” with lenient sentences, thereby undermining the deterrent effect of criminal sanctions; and that it results in the possible coercion of innocent defendants to plead guilty” (Kurbin & Stucky, …show more content…
(Dalton, class lecture, March 01, 2016). These crimes of public order can seem to be unimportant or harmless, but they can cause someone to have a lot of troubles with the law. For example, as we discussed in class concerning the Henry Gates case. Henry Gates did not commit any crimes but by losing his temper and raising his voice and arguing with the police officers caused him to get arrested for disorderly conduct. The Henry Gates arrest case had received extensive media coverage since he was a well-known and respected African-American university professor with high socioeconomic status. Henry Gates also has strong connections and has close personal relations with President