Abstract
We attempt to open a path to the comparative analysis of criminal procedure by superimposing the efficiency principle onto an adversarial system characterized by an aversion to false convictions and an inquisitorial system characterized by a desire to justly punish the guilty. We begin with a general model of plea bargaining, embed it in a larger framework that addresses the costs of adjudication, the value of punishing the guilty and the costs of false convictions, and then link the desirability of plea bargaining and compulsory prosecution to the weights given these costs and benefits in the objective function. We examine the judicial endorsement of plea bargaining in the United States and the debate over European analogs to plea bargaining in light of the model, and conclude that plea bargaining will increase social welfare in adversarial systems but not in inquisitorial ones.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adelstein, Richard 1978. “The Plea Bargain in Theory: A Behavioral Model of the Negotiated Guilty Plea.” Southern Economic Journal 44, 488–503.
Adelstein, Richard 1981a. “Institutional Function and Evolution in the Criminal Process.” Northwestern University Law Review 76, 1–99.
Adelstein, Richard 1981b. “The Plea Bargain in England and America: A Comparative Institutional View.” In P. Burrows & C. Veljanovski eds., The Economic Approach to Law, London: Butterworths, 226–252.
Adelstein, Richard 1998. “Plea Bargaining-A Comparative Approach.” In P. Newman ed., The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics and the Law, London: Macmillan, 3, 46–50.
Adelstein, Richard 1999. “Victims as Cost Bearers.” Buffalo Criminal Law Review 3, 131–173.
Boari, Nicola 1997. “On the Efficiency of Penal Systems: Several Lessons from the Italian Experience.” International Review of Law and Economics 17, 115–126.
Bordenkircher v. Hayes, 434 U.S. 357 1978.
Bracey, Christopher 2000. “Truth and Legitimacy in the American Criminal Process.” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 90, 691–728.
Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742 1970.
Casper, Gerhard & Zeisel, Hans 1972. “Lay Judges in the German Criminal Courts.” Journal of Legal Studies 1, 135–191.
Damaska, Mirjan 1973. “Evidentiary Barriers to Conviction and Two Models of Criminal Procedure: A Comparative Study.” University of Pennsylania Law Review 121, 506-589.
Easterbrook, Frank 1983. “Criminal Procedure as a Market System.” Journal of Legal Studies 12, 289–332.
Goldstein, Abraham & Marcus, Michael 1977. “The Myth of Judicial Supervision in Three ‘Inquisitorial’ Systems: France, Italy, and Germany.” Yale Law Journal 87, 240–283.
Goldstein, Abraham & Marcus, Michael 1978. “Comment on Continental Criminal Procedure.” Yale Law Journal 87, 1570–1577.
Grosman, Brian 1969. The Prosecutor: An Inquiry into the Exercise of Discretion, University of Toronto Press, Toronto.
Grossman, Gene & Katz, Michael 1983. “Plea Bargaining and Social Welfare.” American Economic Review 73, 749–757.
Haglich, Helen 1991. “A Comparison of Guilty Plea Procedure in the United States and Germany.” Dickinson Journal of International Law 10, 93–112.
Harris, John 1970. “On the Economics of Law and Order.” Journal of Political Economy 78, 165–174.
Jörg, Nico, Field, Stewart & Brants, Chrisje 1995. “Are Inquisitorial and Adversarial Systems Converging?” In P. Fennell, C. Harding, N. Jorg & B. Swart eds., Criminal Justice in Europe: A ¨ Comparative Study, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 41–56.
Kobayashi, Bruce 1992. “Deterrence with Multiple Defendants: An Explanation of ‘Unfair’ Plea Bargains.” Rand Journal of Economics 23, 507-517.
Landes, William 1971. “An Economic Analysis of the Courts.” Journal of Law and Economics 14, 61–107.
Langbein, John 1977. Comparative Criminal Procedure: Germany, West Publishing, St. Paul.
Langbein, John 1979. “Land Without Plea Bargaining: How the Germans Do It.” Michigan Law Review 78, 204–225.
Langbein, John 1992. “On the Myth of Written Constitutions: The Disappearance of the Criminal Jury Trial.” Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy 15, 119–127.
Langbein, John & Weinreb, Lloyd 1978. “Continental Criminal Procedure: ‘Myth’ and Reality.” Yale Law Journal 87, 1549-1569.
Miceli, Thomas 1990. “Optimal Prosecution of Defendants Whose Guilt is Uncertain.” Journal of Law, Economics and Organization 6, 189–201.
Miceli, Thomas 1996. “Plea Bargaining and Deterrence: An Institutional Approach.” European Journal of Law and Economics 3, 249–264.
Miller, Jeffrey 1990. “Plea Bargaining and Its Analogues Under the New Italian Criminal Procedure and in the United States, Towards a New Understanding of Comparative Criminal Procedure.” New York University Journal of International Law and Politics 22, 215-251.
North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25 1970.
Pizzi, William 1999. Trials Without Truth, New York: New York University Press.
Reinganum, Jennifer 1988. “Plea Bargaining and Prosecutorial Discretion.” American Economic Review 78, 713-728.
Reinganum, Jennifer 1993. “The Law Enforcement Process and Criminal Choice.” International Review of Law and Economics 13, 115-134.
Santobello v. New York, 404 U.S. 257 1971.
Schulhofer, Stephen 1988. “Criminal Justice Discretion as a Regulatory System.” Journal of Legal Studies 17, 43-82.
Scott v. United States, 419 F.2d 264 D.C. Cir. 1969.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Adelstein, R., Miceli, T.J. Toward a Comparative Economics of Plea Bargaining. European Journal of Law and Economics 11, 47–67 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008713729015
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008713729015