Plea Decision Making with Incarcerated Individuals

Most convictions result from guilty pleas. However, we know little about how plea-bargaining negotiations take place, what is said, and why plea deals are accepted even when the accused is innocent. Criminologists Theodore Wilson and Christi Metcalfe will examine how guilt, trust in one’s lawyer, and likelihood of conviction at trial influence plea deal acceptance. They will conduct a survey vignette experiment for their study.