‘Round Peg, Square Hole?’ The Viability of Plea Bargaining in Domestic Criminal Justice Systems Prosecuting International Crimes

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-384
Author(s):  
Anjali Pathmanathan
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Plea Bargaining ◽  
Potential Solution ◽  
International Crimes ◽  
Criminal Justice Systems ◽  
Mass Atrocity ◽  
Square Hole

During peacetime, no nation envisions that its people could ever succumb to genocide. Therefore, when a justice system never anticipated the challenge of prosecuting all perpetrators of genocide, the judicial institutions struggle of fitting the ‘round peg’ of these countless heinous crimes into the ‘square hole’ of an unprepared criminal justice system. Thus, this article turns to the extensive use of plea bargaining as a potential solution to this problem, using the courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as an example of a nascent criminal justice system developing in the wake of mass atrocity. Since plea bargaining has the potential to offer victims greater retribution and reconciliation if they see their perpetrators processed through the criminal justice system in some capacity rather than not at all, I propose that if administered cautiously and within an informed community, increasing plea bargaining in BiH could contribute positively to rebuilding the community.

Criminal Justice in an Era of Mass Deportation

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid V. Eagly
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
State Level ◽  
Plea Bargaining ◽  
The United States ◽  
Criminal Court ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Collateral Consequence

After a sustained period of hypercriminalization, the United States criminal justice system is undergoing reform. Congress has reduced federal sentencing for drug crimes, prison growth is slowing, and some states are even closing prisons. Low-level crimes have been removed from criminal law books, and attention is beginning to focus on long-neglected issues such as bail and criminal court fines. Still largely overlooked in this era of ambitious reform, however, is the treatment of immigrants in the criminal justice system. An unprecedented focus on immigration enforcement targeted at “felons, not families” has resulted in a separate system of punitive treatment reserved for noncitizens, which includes crimes of migration, longer periods of pretrial detention, harsher criminal sentences, and the almost certain collateral consequence of lifetime banishment from the United States. For examples of state-level solutions to this predicament, this Essay turns to a trio of bold criminal justice reforms from California that (1) require prosecutors to consider immigration penalties in plea bargaining; (2) change the state definition of “misdemeanor” from a maximum sentence of a year to 364 days; and (3) instruct law enforcement agencies to not hold immigrants for deportation purposes unless they are first convicted of serious crimes. Together, these new laws provide an important window into how state criminal justice systems could begin to address some of the unique concerns of noncitizen criminal defendants.

Comparing Plea Bargaining and Abbreviated Trial Procedures

2019 ◽  
pp. 702-727
Author(s):  
Gwladys Gilliéron
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Civil Law ◽  
Plea Bargaining ◽  
The United States ◽  
Wrongful Convictions ◽  
The U.S

This chapter compares U.S. plea bargaining with plea-bargaining-type procedures and penal orders in Continental Europe, with reference to Switzerland, Germany, and France. It first considers consensual criminal procedures across jurisdictions and why they exist, focusing on plea bargaining in the U.S. criminal justice system and abbreviated trial procedures in European civil law systems. It then examines the extent to which abbreviated trial procedures in civil law systems differ from plea bargaining in the U.S. system, the problems inherent in consensual criminal procedures, and the question of whether there are any solutions. In particular, it explains how plea bargaining and penal orders may lead to wrongful convictions. Finally, it discusses prospects for reform of plea bargaining in the United States and in civil law systems in Europe.

The European Integrated Criminal Justice System and its Constitutional Framework

2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Vogel
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Legal Systems ◽  
Member States ◽  
Criminal Justice Systems ◽  
Financial Interests ◽  
Justice Systems

This article discusses the concept of the integrated European criminal justice system and its constitutional framework (as it stands now and as laid down in the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe signed in Rome on 29 October 2004). It argues that European integration does not stop short of criminal justice. Integration does not mean that Member States and their legal systems, including their criminal justice systems, are being abolished or centralised or unified. Rather, they are being integrated through co-operation, co-ordination and harmonisation; centralisation, respectively unification, is a means of integration only in specific sectors such as the protection of the European Communities' financial interests. The article further argues that the integrated European criminal justice system is in need of a constitutional framework. The present framework suffers from major deficiencies. However, the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe will introduce a far better, all in all satisfactory, ‘criminal law constitution’.

Lammy Review: will it change outcomes in the criminal justice system?

Race & Class ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Bridges
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Plea Bargaining ◽  
Forensic Analysis ◽  
Racial Justice ◽  
Ethnic Representation ◽  
Differential Outcomes ◽  
Joint Enterprise ◽  
Minority Ethnic

A forensic analysis from a criminal justice expert on the weaknesses in the findings and recommendations of the Lammy Review into Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic disproportionality in the UK’s criminal justice system. It comments on the remit (which excludes policing), the lack of real action over police gang databases and the joint enterprise ‘charge’, the inadequate understanding of plea bargaining and influence of charging, the need for a deeper understanding of outcomes particularly at the Crown Court, and the weaknesses in merely asking for more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic representation in the system. The statistical review, the author concludes, produces snapshots of marginal disproportionality at selected stages in the process and hence an episodic analysis of criminal justice, rather than looking at the overall system’s effect in producing differential outcomes for the various ethnic groups. See also Liz Fekete, ‘Lammy Review: Without racial justice, can there be trust?’ ( Race & Class, doi: 10.1177/0306396817742074).

Punishing the Enemies of All Mankind

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 971-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALETTE SMEULERS
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
International Criminal Justice ◽  
Collective Violence ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
International Crimes

How do we and how should we punish perpetrators of international crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide? Is it fair to hold individuals responsible for their role in manifestations of this type of collective violence? Do the punishments issued by international criminal institutions support the usual penological rationales? Do they actually attain their goals? Is the Westernized international criminal justice system the most appropriate means of dealing with mass violence, especially in non-Western countries which might have a different perception of justice? What are the alternatives? These are just some of the questions which Mark Drumbl addresses in this book.

scholarly journals Tracing the Instances of Plea Bargaining in the Lithuanian Criminal Justice System

Teisė ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 106 ◽  
pp. 130-143
Author(s):  
Simona Garbatavičiūtė
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Criminal Procedure ◽  
Plea Bargaining ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Penal Order

This Article aims to overview procedural grounds in the Lithuanian criminal justice system that relate to the concepts of simplified and negotiated justice, in particular to the concept of plea bargaining. Specifically, the research seeks to examine the procedures of simplified examination of evidence in court, accelerated proceedings and the procedure of penal order as foreseen in the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter referred to as the CCP). This research aims to highlight similarities between the aforementioned procedures and the concept of plea bargaining.

scholarly journals POSSIBLE SENSITIVE VICTIMS - WITNESSES

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1517-1524
Author(s):  
Azra Adžajlić-Dedović ◽  
Haris Halilović ◽  
Samir Rizvo
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Criminal Justice Systems ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
Adequate Care ◽  
Justice Systems

Victims and witnesses may be reluctant to give information and evidence because of perceived or actual intimidation or threats against themselves or members of their family. This concern may be exacerbated where people who come into contact with the criminal justice system are particularly vulnerable. For instance, by virtue of their age and developing levels of maturity, children require that special measures be taken to ensure that they are appropriately assisted and protected by criminal justice processes.Victims who receive appropriate and adequate care and support are more likely to cooperate with the criminal justice system in bringing perpetrators of crime to justice. However, inadequacies of criminal justice systems may mean that victims are not able to access the services they need and may even be re-victimized by the criminal justice system itself.

scholarly journals The Role of International Criminal Justice in Fulfillment of the Tasks of the World Community - UN

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 87-96
Author(s):  
N I Kostenko
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
International Criminal Justice ◽  
World Community ◽  
Criminal Justice Systems ◽  
The World

The article examines the role of international criminal justice in fulfilling the important tasks set by the world community in the 21st century to stabilize the criminal justice system, which should become a fundamental element of the rule of law structure; on the recognition of the central role of the criminal justice system in the development of international criminal justice. The work focuses on the need for a holistic approach to reforming the criminal justice system in order to improve the effectiveness of international criminal justice systems in the fight against crime.

scholarly journals Plea Bargaining and Criminal Justice in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-52
Author(s):  
Pradeep Kumar Singh
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Restorative Justice ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Plea Bargaining ◽  
Measure Development ◽  
Continuous Review ◽  
Crime Commission ◽  
Habitual Criminal

Crime, criminals and criminality have always been serious concern for society, state and individuals. Individuals formed society to have protection for his life, property and liberty. Society to bear such liabilities created state which ultimately developed criminal justice system. Hereby, criminal justice system is developed for providing protection to life, liberty and property of individual but in developmental process individual for whose protection criminal justice system was developed, became neglected. Traditionally criminal justice system attempts to protect accused and his interests. Recently demands are made for justice to individual victim who is actual sufferer of crime commission. Recently some measures are created for providing justice to individual victim. Such measures are in process of development, and thereby, for effective justice measure development to provide justice to victim there is a need to make continuous review. Plea bargaining is one such measure recently included in Indian criminal justice system to provide justice to victim. This paper analyses plea bargaining in reference to providing of justice to victim in India. Keywords: Compensation; Criminal justice; Habitual criminal; Plea bargaining; Restorative justice; Sentence; Victim.

Fines and Monetary Sanctions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexes Harris ◽  
Frank Edwards
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
The United States ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
System Involvement ◽  
Low Level ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Criminal Justice Systems

Despite the central role that fines and other fiscal penalties play in systems of criminal justice, they have received relatively little scholarly attention. Court systems impose fines and other monetary sanctions in response to minor administrative and traffic offenses as well as for more serious criminal offenses. Monetary sanctions are intended to provide a deterrent punishment to reduce lawbreaking, to provide opportunities for accountability through financial restitution, to restore harm caused to victims of crime, and to fund the operation and administration of courts and criminal justice systems. Fines, fees, and other monetary sanctions are the most common form of punishment imposed by criminal justice systems. Most criminal sentences in the United States include financial penalties, and monetary sanctions are routinely imposed for less serious, and far more common, infractions such as traffic or parking violations. For many, paying a monetary sanction for a low-level violation is an annoyance. However, for the poor and people of color who are disproportionately likely to be subject to criminal justice system involvement, monetary sanctions can become a vehicle for expanded social inequality and increasingly severe criminal justice contact. Failure to pay legal financial obligations often results in court summons or license suspensions that may have attendant additional costs and may trigger incarceration. In the United States, the criminal justice system is heavily and routinely involved in the lives of low-income people of color. These already-existing biases, coupled with the deep poverty that is common in many communities, join to widen the net of criminal justice involvement by escalating low-level infractions to far more serious offenses when people are unable to pay. Despite the routine justification of monetary sanctions as less-severe penalties, if imposed without restriction on the poor, they are likely to magnify the inequality producing effects of criminal justice system involvement.

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