Pandemic pushed defendants to plead guilty more often, including innocent people pleading to crimes they didn’t commit
- Written by: Shi Yan, Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University
When people are held in jail, they're likely to accept quick release – even if it means admitting to something they didn't do.Caspar Benson via Getty ImagesDespite a constitutional right to a jury trial, more than 94% of criminal convictions in the United States result from guilty pleas, not jury verdicts. Even innocent people, those who did...
