Skip to main content

Concluding Comments

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Plea Negotiations

Part of the book series: Palgrave Socio-Legal Studies ((PSLS))

  • 770 Accesses

Abstract

Plea negotiations are a fact of life and have been so for many years. They are a pragmatic response to an imperfect world where legal and administrative resources are limited and managerial theories have transformed the criminal justice system. In Victoria, these negotiations are not of the kind depicted in fictionalised American television dramas in which plea deals are done and presented as fait accompli to the court, but are part of everyday legal life in a semi-adversarial criminal justice system. This chapter presents a summary of the main findings and contributions of this book. It also discusses a number of recommendations as to how the process can be made more transparent and less imperfect.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    See also R v Goodyear [2005] EWCA 888.

  2. 2.

    See, for example, Barbaro v The Queen; Zirilli v The Queen [2014] HCA 2.

  3. 3.

    [2014] HCA 2.

  4. 4.

    Criminal Law (Domestic Violence) Amendment Act 2016 (Qld) amending s 15(3) of the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 (Qld).

  5. 5.

    R v Christopher Killick [2011] EWCA Crim 1608.

References

References

  • Aas, K F 2005, Sentencing in the age of information: from Faust to Macintosh, Routledge, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Australian Law Reform Commission [ALRC] 2006, Same crime, same time: sentencing of federal offenders (Report #103, 2006).

    Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin, J & McConville, M 1977, Negotiated justice: pressures to plead guilty, Martin Robertson, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin, J & McConville, M 1979, ‘Plea bargaining and the research dilemma’, Law and Policy Quarterly, vol. 1, pp. 223–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckle, S & Buckle, L 1977, Bargaining for justice: case disposition and reform in the criminal courts, Praeger Publishers, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, K 2011, Conventional and Innovative Responses to Sexual Violence, ACSSA Issues, no. 12 Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Melbourne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, A 2015, ‘Sexual violence and innovative responses to justice: Interrupting the recognisable narrative’, in N Henry, A Powell & A Flynn (eds), Rape Justice: Beyond the Criminal Law, pp. 92–111, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, A 2016, ‘Plea negotiations, prosecutors and discretion: an argument for legal reform’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 564–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, A & Hodgson, J 2017a (eds) Access to justice & legal aid: comparative perspectives on unmet legal needs, Hart Publishing, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, A, Hodgson, J, McCulloch, J & Naylor, B 2016, ‘Legal aid and access to legal representation: redefining the right to a fair trial’, Melbourne University Law Review, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 207–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freiberg, A, Donnelly, H & Gelb, K 2015, Sentencing for child sexual abuse in institutional contexts, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Sydney.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, J & Jesilow, P 2006, ‘It’s not the old ball game: three strikes and the courtroom workgroup’, Justice Quarterly, vol. 17, pp. 185–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henry, N, Powell, A & Flynn, A 2015 (eds) Rape Justice: Beyond the Criminal Law, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirchengast, T 2016, ‘Victims’ rights and the right to review: a corollary of the victim’s pre-trial rights to justice’, International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 103–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Law Institute of Victoria [LIV] 2011a, ‘Sex Offenders Act needs review’, LIJ, CEO’s LIJ Articles. Available from: http://www.liv.asn.au/Practice-Resources/News-Centre/Ceo-s-Page/Sex-Offenders-Act-needs-review [accessed 18 January 2016].

  • Mack, K & Roach Anleu, S 1995, Pleading guilty: issues and practices, Australian Institute of Judicial Administration, Victoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mather, L 1979, Plea bargaining or trial? The process of criminal case disposition, Lexington Books, United States.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maynard, D 1984, Inside plea bargaining: the language of negotiation, Plenum Press, New York.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • McConville, M 2002, ‘Plea bargaining’, in M McConville & G Wilson (eds), The handbook of the criminal justice process, pp. 353–79, Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McConville, M, Hodgson, J, Lee, B & Pavlovic, A 1994, Standing Accused: The Organisation and Practices of Criminal Defence Lawyers in Britain, Clarendon Press, Oxford.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • McConville, M & Marsh, L 2014, Criminal judges: legitimacy, courts and state-induced guilty pleas in Britain, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • McCoy, C 1990, Politics and plea bargaining: victims’ rights in California, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia.

    Google Scholar 

  • New Zealand Law Reform Commission 2005, Criminal pre-trial processes: justice through efficiency (Report #89 2005).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ombudsman Victoria 2011, Whistleblowers Protection Act 2001: investigation into the failure of agencies to manage registered sex offenders, Ombudsman Victoria. Available from: https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/getattachment/8ba099dd-0b7d-46f1-8bc4-5932db9c2c01//publications/parliamentary-reports/whistleblowers-protection-act-2001-investigation-i.aspx [accessed 18 January 2016].

  • Pizzi, W 1999, Trials without truth: why our system of criminal trials has become an expensive failure and what we need to do to rebuild it, New York University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell, M, Day, A, Benson, M, Vess, J & Graffam, J 2014, ‘Police officers’ perceptions of interviewing offenders on sex offender registries’, International Journal of Police Science & Management, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 255–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rakoff, J S 2014, ‘Why innocent people plead guilty’, NY Books, November 20 issue. Available from: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2014/11/20/why-innocent-people-plead-guilty [accessed 18 January 2016].

  • Redlich, A D, Bushway, S D & Norris, R J 2016, ‘Plea decision-making by attorneys and judges’, Journal of Experimental Criminology, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 537–561.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse 2017a, Criminal Justice Report: Executive Summary and Parts 1–II, Royal Commission, Sydney.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, D 2014, ‘Victims’ Right of Review Scheme sees 146 charged’, BBC News, 19 July. Available from: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28377445 [accessed 18 January 2016].

  • Simon, J 2007, Governing through crime: how the war on crime transformed American democracy and created a culture of fear, Oxford University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solonec, T 2015, ‘“Tough on crime”: discrimination by another name – the legacy of mandatory sentencing in Western Australia’, Indigenous Law Bulletin, vol. 8, no. 18, pp. 7–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Utz, P 1978, Settling the facts, Lexington Books, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vess, J, Langskaill, B, Day, A, Powell, M & Graffam, J 2011, ‘A comparative analysis of Australian sex offender legislation for sex offender registries’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 404–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Victorian Law Reform Commission [VLRC] 2012, Sex offenders registration: final report, VLRC, Melbourne. Available from: http://www.lawreform.vic.gov.au/content/sex-offenders-registration-final-report-html-version [accessed 18 January 2016].

  • Victorian Law Reform Commission [VLRC] 2016, Victims of crime in the criminal trial process: final report, VLRC, Victoria.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Flynn, A., Freiberg, A. (2018). Concluding Comments. In: Plea Negotiations. Palgrave Socio-Legal Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92630-8_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92630-8_10

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-92629-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-92630-8

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics