The jury trial has long been a keystone of the American criminal justice system. Few defendants exercise their right to trial, however, and those who do tend to receive significantly harsher punishments if convicted. This phenomenon, known as a trial tax or, conversely, as a guilty plea discount, is one of the most profound and consistent findings in the empirical sentencing literature. Estimates of its magnitude differ across studies and jurisdictions, but it typically involves a two- to six-times increase in the odds of imprisonment and a 15–60 percent increase in average sentence length. Recent changes to American sentencing policy may have exacerbated plea-trial disparities, raising a host of moral, legal, and procedural questions about fair and equal treatment of defendants who exercise their right to trial.

中文翻译：

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审判与琐事：审判税与处罚程序

陪审团审判长期以来一直是美国刑事司法系统的基石。但是，很少有被告行使审判权，而那些被告一旦定罪，往往会受到更严厉的惩罚。这种现象被称为试行税，或者反过来称为认罪认罪，是经验量刑文献中最深刻，最一致的发现之一。不同研究机构和司法管辖区对其估计程度不同，但通常会导致监禁几率增加2到6倍，平均刑期增加15-60％。美国判决政策的最新变化可能加剧了认罪差距，提出了关于行使审判权的被告人受到公平和平等待遇的一系列道德，法律和程序性问题。