美国国家公共电台 NPR--New research examining plea deals finds multiple problems

New research examining plea deals finds multiple problems

Transcript¹

It's not trials, but plea bargains, that resolve most criminal cases. But new research examining those negotiations² finds big problems with plea deals.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Many criminal cases end not in a trial but in a plea deal. Lawyers negotiate such agreements in private, meaning the public learns very little about how they work. Now studies find problems with plea deals in three regions. It seems some innocent people plead guilty simply to resolve their cases, even some prosecutors³ think so. Steve Vockrodt is with NPR's Midwest Newsroom and is covering this story. Good morning.

STEVE VOCKRODT, BYLINE⁴: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: Who looked into these cases?

VOCKRODT: These were two studies commissioned by the MacArthur Foundation. One took a look at the Philadelphia district attorney's office. And the other examined the prosecutors' offices in St. Louis County and Milwaukee County.

INSKEEP: OK.

VOCKRODT: The studies are considered unprecedented⁵ because negotiating guilty pleas is such an important part of how justice works. But there's been little in the way of critical examination of how these deals get made. The studies also found that prosecutors have outsized influence in this behind-the-scenes dealmaking. And it turns out, according to these studies, prosecutors didn't always do a good job of documenting their decisions or keeping data about the outcomes of these negotiations.

INSKEEP: Oh, so part of the lack of knowledge here is just by the system itself. Things are not really tracked. But as far as they could tell, how often do people just give up and plead guilty?

VOCKRODT: So the study didn't have those types of specifics. But in the Philadelphia study, several prosecutors did say that they suspected that innocent people sometimes did admit to something they didn't do. Based on the studies and my conversations with researchers, defendants⁶ sometimes feel pressure to accept a deal because they want to get out of jail quickly if they're locked up after being charged. Or they get a deal that's so attractive that they want to put the whole thing behind them. The studies' authors thought that prosecutors admitting that some people may be innocent was remarkable⁷. Here's the Urban Institute's Andreea Matei.

ANDREEA MATEI: It does raise ethical⁸ concerns. And it also raises some opportunities for practice changes and just different reforms that offices can make to avoid feeling that you can't reevaluate whether to offer a plea or not.

INSKEEP: Let's look at another layer of this. We know that people of different races, statistically⁹ speaking, have been treated differently in the criminal justice system. Is that true of plea deals, too?

VOCKRODT: Yeah. So this study found that Black defendants in St. Louis County, for example, are less likely to plead guilty than white defendants. And an expert I talked to said that's probably because a lack of trust in the justice system and skepticism about the consequences that - of any offer that's made to them. In Wisconsin's Milwaukee County, overall, there were fewer racial differences. About 65% of all people plead guilty in cases there. And going back to Philadelphia, a major - majority of prosecutors surveyed acknowledged that people of color get harsher plea offers. And most said that structural¹⁰ racism¹¹ is present in the criminal justice system. And that can impact a plea offer.

INSKEEP: What can people in the system do differently?

VOCKRODT: So in general, the studies suggest that prosecutors' offices do a better job of keeping data on plea deals. Do a better job of training their employees to stick to guidelines and policies around negotiating these deals. And they also suggest reducing the amount of cases they deal with by dropping some charges or offering diversion.

INSKEEP: OK. Steve Vockrodt is a reporter with NPR's Midwest Newsroom in Kansas City, Mo. Thanks for joining us.

VOCKRODT: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

6 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

7 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

8 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

9 statistically   

ad.根据统计数据来看，从统计学的观点来看

参考例句：

• The sample of building permits is larger and therefore, statistically satisfying. 建筑许可数的样本比较大，所以统计数据更令人满意。
• The results of each test would have to be statistically independent. 每次试验的结果在统计上必须是独立的。

10 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

11 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。