In a forthcoming Boston College Law Review article entitled Criminalizing Race: Racial Disparities In Plea Bargaining, Loyala Law School Professor Carlos Berdejó examines significant racial disparities in the plea bargaining process. Berdejó found that white defendants are 25% more likely than black defendants to have their initial charges dropped or reduced. As a result, white defendants who are initially charged with felonies are less likely to be convicted of felonies than black defendants. Moreover, Berdejó concludes that racial disparities in plea bargaining outcomes are greater in misdemeanor and low-level felony prosecutions than in more serious felonies.
For a copy of the abstract and full article, click here. For a link to the Defender Services Office Training Division’s program materials about Race in the Federal Criminal Court, click here.