Objectives

Investigate how the threat of a possible felony conviction affects defendants’ willingness to accept a plea (WTAP) and whether perceptions of collateral consequences explain this influence.

Methods

We use a nationwide (N=659) vignette experiment which manipulated 1) guilt and 2) plea offer charge reduction (felony or misdemeanor) to determine their effect on WTAP. Respondents were also asked to rank the relative importance of common collateral consequences in their decision to plea (or not).

Results

A felony probation plea offer, relative to a misdemeanor probation offer, was associated with lower WTAP. Perceptions of collateral consequences did not account for this “felony effect” on WTAP.

Conclusions

While people want to avoid the “mark” of a felony conviction, it is not necessarily due to fear of specific collateral consequences; instead, it appears that people want to avoid the stigmatizing label.

中文翻译：

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重罪定罪的标志：重罪威胁如何影响接受认罪的意愿？

 目标

调查可能的重罪定罪的威胁如何影响被告接受认罪的意愿 (WTAP)，以及对附带后果的看法是否可以解释这种影响。

 方法

我们使用全国性 (N=659) 的小插曲实验，操纵 1) 内疚和 2) 认罪减罪（重罪或轻罪）来确定它们对 WTAP 的影响。受访者还被要求对常见附带后果在他们决定抗辩（或不抗辩）时的相对重要性进行排名。

 结果

相对于轻罪缓刑申请，重罪缓刑认罪申请与较低的 WTAP 相关。对附带后果的看法并没有解释 WTAP 的这种“重罪效应”。

 结论

虽然人们希望避免重罪定罪的“印记”，但这并不一定是因为担心特定的附带后果；相反，人们似乎想避免贴上污名化的标签。