ABA CJS Plea Bargaining Task Force Releases Report
Earlier today, the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Plea Bargaining Task Force released its final report, which includes 14 recommendations for creating a more transparent, fairer and more just system. Formed in 2019 when I served as Chair of the Criminal Justice Section, the task force was created to assess the state of plea bargaining in America and was made up of prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, academics and members of various think tanks and advocacy organizations - including task force members affiliated with The Innocence Project, Southern Poverty Law Center, Council on Criminal Justice, Fair Trials, NACDL, and the Cato Institute. More information about the task force and a copy of the report are available on the task force website . The 14 Principles from the Report: Principle 1 : A vibrant and active docket of criminal trials and pre- and post-trial litigation is essential to promote transparency, accountability, justice and legitim