ADMJ 101 Lecture 14: ADMJ_101_-_Lecture_14
Document Summary
Race and criminal justice: disparities in the courts. Racial minorities and the right to counsel. Quality of counsel provided to indigent defendants (i. e. , public) Some argue pds more concerned with securing guilty pleas than defending clients. Others disagree - pds establish working relationships with prosecutors and judges; in better positions to negotiate plea bargains and mitigate punishment. Outcomes for state and federal defendants not that different for those represented by pds compared to those represented by private attorneys. Small difference for conviction rates, greater differences for incarceration rates. Possible that hiring attorney provides more benefits to whites than to. Critics of bail system argue the system discriminates against poor defendants and racial minorities. African americans and hispanics defendants more likely than whites to be detained prior to trial. Concerns led to first bail reform movement in 1960s type/amount of bail and time in pretrial detention affects likelihood of guilty plea, of conviction at trial, and severity of sentence.
