Plea bargaining by prosecutors and defense attorneys: a decision theory approach

Article Abstract:

The present research tested the impact of severity of sentence and probability of conviction on plea bargaining decisions made by prosecutors and defense attorneys. Hypothetical scenarios involving various criminal cases were mailed to two prosecutors and two defense attorneys in each of 47 states. Information was manipulated such that probability of conviction was either 20 percent, 50 percent, or 80 percent, and the severity of the sentence if the case went to trial was either 2 or 5 years. Prosecutors had to decide whether to offer a 1-year plea-bargain sentence whereas defense attorneys had to decide whether to accept such a sentence. Results show that as the severity of sentence and probability of conviction increased, prosecutors became less willing to plea bargain whereas defense attorneys became more willing. Also evident in the data was a prosecutor bias in favor of plea bargaining and a defense attorney bias in favor of trials. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Psychological aspects, Decision-making, Decision making, Plea bargaining, Defense (Criminal procedure), Influence (Psychology), Oral pleading

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Productivity consistency of foundry chippers and grinders: a 6-year field study

Article Abstract:

Reliability of output for a department of foundry chippers and grinders paid under an individual incentive plan was analyzed over a 6-year period. Reliability was also analyzed for a subgroup of employees continuously employed for 5 of the 6 years. For both the whole group and the subgroup, week-to-week (k = 1) median correlations were calculated to estimate consistency of output. Overall median correlations were .79 for the whole group and .85 for the subgroup, indicating that consistency of output remained relatively high over time. The effect on median correlations of increasing time between weeks (k) from 1 week to 219 weeks was analyzed for the subgroup. Regressing median correlations on k yielded an initial decline in the magnitude of the correlations with some recovery at the end of the time period. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Officials and employees, Industrial productivity, Foundries

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