Citation

Champion DJ. J. Crim. Justice 1988; 16(4): 291-301.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0047-2352(88)90017-7

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This research surveyed 166 city and county prosecutors in area jurisdictions in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia concerning their use of felony probation in plea bargaining. Most prosecutors indicated that they use plea bargaining to an increasing degree and that those plea agreements more frequently involve probation. An analysis was made of 64,372 felony convictions for the years 1970-1985 in all participating area jurisdictions. Felony plea bargaining increased, particularly in Tennessee. Prison overcrowding was largely responsible for this trend in certain jurisdictions surveyed. Probation was used less frequently in trial convictions compared with plea bargained convictions when similar offenses and offender characteristics were controlled.