Abel, J. (2017). Cops and pleas: Police officers’ influence on plea bargaining. Yale Law Journal, 126(6), 1730–1787.

U.S. Department of Justice: Bureau of Justice Assistance. (2011). Plea and charge bargaining: Research summary. Retrieved from https://www.bja.gov/Publications/PleaBargainingRes…

Griffin, L. K. (2017). State Incentives, plea bargaining regulation, and the failed market for indigent defense. Law & Contemporary Problems, 80(1), 83–105.

Etienne, M. (2017). A lost opportunity for sentencing reform: Plea bargaining and barriers to effective assistance. South Carolina Law Review, 68(3), 467–486.

Criminal Justice Case Studies: Criminal Courts and Judicial Process, Week 2 (PDF

Assignment: Choices in the Judicial System

Reflect on the two scenarios from the weekly Introduction. Now, imagine that you are the law enforcement officer who either cracked the big case and brought down a big cartel or who dutifully pursued the smaller case to find justice for an aggrieved family. In both circumstances, you feel strongly that the DA should fully prosecute each case. How would you convince your commanding officer to advocate with you to the DA? In this Assignment, you take on that perspective when providing a rationale to prosecute based on a case study.

To prepare:

• Read the Week 2 case study found in the Criminal Justice Case Studies: Criminal Courts and Judicial Process, Week 2 document.

By Day 7

Write a 750- to 1,000-word brief that provides the rationale for taking the case in the case study to trial. In your brief, address the following:

• What are the charges?
• What is the reasoning behind the charges?
• Which court(s) can or should be solicited?
• What is the reasoning for choosing that court?
  • Note: Most importantly, a plea deal is not an option in this situation.
• Provide your reasoning for why you would not take an alternate path, such as a particular court.
• Provide your reasoning for why a plea deal is not appropriate.
• Your role is the investigator and your audience for the brief is the commanding officer.
• Be sure to draw upon examples from the case study and Learning Resources to support your response.