Doctoral Dissertation Research: Exploring Psychological Mechanisms Underlying Plea Bargaining Decisions

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Title: Doctoral Dissertation Research: Exploring Psychological Mechanism Underlying Plea Bargaining Decisions Abstract: Approximately 95% of criminal convictions are resolved through guilty pleas, in which a defendant admits guilt and waives his constitutional right to a jury trial in exchange for a reduced punishment. Although the Supreme Court has ruled that plea deals are not inherently coercive, this project will test whether the plea-bargaining system is coercive by identifying factors that might hinder defendants? ability to make objective plea decisions. Using an experimental approach, the project will examine whether interrogation tactics, such as those that are designed to provide suspects with misinformation, influence plea decisions; as well, the project will examine the effect of anxiety and guilt on defendant's plea decisions. This project will consist of two experimental studies. The first study will employ online participants to examine how individuals make plea decisions using hypothetical scenarios in which the guilt or innocence of the defendant, as well as the interrogation tactics, are varied. The second study will employ undergraduate students who will be placed in situations involving real consequences, and where questioning techniques of the students are manipulated, to determine their likelihood of choosing plea deals. This project will contribute to the body of research on the influence of interrogation techniques on the plea-bargaining process and the circumstances under which criminal defendants waive their right to a trial in favor of a plea deal.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.