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Vanishing Trial Resources

Resources related to the vanishing trial. 

Reports and Studies  News Articles  Videos 

REPORTS AND STUDIES

  • Exploring Plea Negotiation Processes and Outcomes in Milwaukee and St. Louis County, Safety and Justice Challenge, November 2022.

  • An Exploration of Prosecutorial Discretion in Plea Bargaining in Philadelphia, Safety and Justice Challenge, November 2022.

  • The New York State Trial Penalty: The Constitutional Right to Trial Under Attack, NACDL, March 26, 2021.

  • In the Shadows: A Review of the Research on Plea Bargaining, Vera Institute of Justice, September 2020. 

  • Only 2% of federal criminal defendants go to trial, and most who do are found guilty, By John Gramlich, Pew Research, June 11, 2019.

  • Trial Penalty Report: The Sixth Amendment Right to Trial on the Verge of Extinction and How to Save It, NACDL, July 10 2018.

  • Report: Guilty Pleas on the Rise, Criminal Trials on the Decline, The Innocence Project, August 7, 2018.

  • United States Court Caseload Statistics Data Table

  • An Offer You Can’t Refuse: How US Federal Prosecutors Force Drug Defendants to Plead Guilty, Human Rights Watch, December 2013. 

NEWS ARTICLES

  • Coerced Out of Justice: How Prosecutors Abuse their Power to Secure Guilty Pleas, by Somil Trivedi and Jared Keenan, American Civil Liberties Union, July 8, 2021.

  • Coercive Plea Bargaining Has Poisoned the Criminal Justice System. It’s Time to Suck the Venom Out., by Somil Trivedi, American Civil Liberties Union, January 13, 2020.

  • Why U.S. Criminal Courts Are So Dependent on Plea Bargaining, by Dylan Walsh, The Atlantic, May 2, 2017.

  • Stronger Hand for Judges in the ‘Bazaar’ of Plea Deals, by Erica Goode, The New York Times, March 22, 2012.

VIDEOS, BLOGS, PODCASTS

Trial Penalty: The Scourge of the American Criminal Legal System

Panels from the 20th Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference, held virtually on August 18th - 20th, 2021.

The Vanishing Trial Films Discussions

Prosecutors: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

John Oliver explains how prosecutors use, or in some cases misuse, their power within our criminal justice system and why it’s important to know whether or not your district attorney is a dog.

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Strengthening the Sixth

The Center for Justice Innovation is a training and technical assistance provider to the Bureau of Justice Assistance through the Justice for All program. The Center for Justice Innovation (the Center) and its partner are managing, enhancing, and expanding the Strengthening the Sixth website. For more information about the Center, visit www.innovatingjustice.org. The Strengthening the Sixth Website is supported by Grant No. 15PBJA-22-GK-01567-JAGJ awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office of Victims of Crimes, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions on this website do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website, including, without limitations, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided.