The Tenor of Justice : Criminal Courts and the Guilty Plea Process

view, reasonably fair. Bias and favoritism do not by and large play a role in the guilty plea process. Judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys individually and together exercise little discretion or arbitrariness; and class, gender, and race of defendants have no measurable effect on case outcomes. Since the authors think the system operates well, their recommendations for reform are modest. They do call for a more integrated plea system (p. 382) where firm offers, including sentences, are made early in the plea process and where all players, including judges, have a role.