Author Description

Bringing together established and emerging scholars from around the world, the Research Handbook on Plea Bargaining and Criminal Justice examines the history, practice, underlying issues and future evolution of plea bargaining, through which guilty pleas are secured and trials are avoided. Incorporating academic and practitioner perspectives, this ground-breaking Research Handbook provides a contemporary reflection on the challenges surrounding the societal and legal framing of this enduring feature of the criminal justice landscape. It situates these challenges within the broader discussion on responses to plea bargaining in comparative international and domestic contexts. Exploring the successes and failures of plea bargaining law reforms and practices within a diverse range of trial systems, this Research Handbook lays the foundation for future research and scholarship to enable a clearer understanding of plea bargaining. Drawing attention to contemporary debates and ongoing controversies, this Research Handbook will be a vital resource for scholars and students of criminal law and justice, criminology, and sociology and social policy.