“The triumph of plea bargaining in the federal system, which has gathered pace in recent years, is nearly complete. Guilty pleas last year resolved 97% of all federal cases that the Justice Department prosecuted to a conclusion. That is up from 84% in 1990. During that period, the number of federal defendants nearly doubled amid a crackdown on crimes ranging from drug trafficking to fraud, while the number going to trial fell by nearly two-thirds. Behind the dominance of the plea bargain is the rapid growth in the number of federal criminal laws and the stiffening of sentences.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443589304577637610097206808.html
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