Why Innocent People Plead
Discuss the reasons why innocent people plead guilty. Provide specific examples from the video and outside research.
Innocent people plead guilty for several reasons, often due to systemic pressures and legal constraints within the U.S. criminal justice system. These pressures include coercive plea bargaining, fear of harsher sentences, inadequate legal representation, and socioeconomic disadvantages.
1. Coercive Plea Bargaining
Plea bargaining is a dominant feature of the U.S. legal system, with over 90% of criminal cases resolved through guilty pleas rather than trials. Prosecutors often offer reduced sentences in exchange for guilty pleas, even to defendants who maintain their innocence. This creates a situation where an innocent person may plead guilty to avoid the risk of a much harsher sentence if convicted at trial…
Innocent people plead guilty for several reasons, often due to systemic pressures and legal constraints within the U.S. criminal justice system. These pressures include coercive plea bargaining, fear of harsher sentences, inadequate legal representation, and socioeconomic disadvantages.
1. Coercive Plea Bargaining
Plea bargaining is a dominant feature of the U.S. legal system, with over 90% of criminal cases resolved through guilty pleas rather than trials. Prosecutors often offer reduced sentences in exchange for guilty pleas, even to defendants who maintain their innocence. This creates a situation where an innocent person may plead guilty to avoid the risk of a much harsher sentence if convicted at trial…
Innocent people plead guilty for several reasons, often due to systemic pressures and legal constraints within the U.S. criminal justice system. These pressures include coercive plea bargaining, fear of harsher sentences, inadequate legal representation, and socioeconomic disadvantages.
1. Coercive Plea Bargaining
Plea bargaining is a dominant feature of the U.S. legal system, with over 90% of criminal cases resolved through guilty pleas rather than trials. Prosecutors often offer reduced sentences in exchange for guilty pleas, even to defendants who maintain their innocence. This creates a situation where an innocent person may plead guilty to avoid the risk of a much harsher sentence if convicted at trial…
