Incentivized Admission

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We collect data to better understand how defendants in the criminal justice system decide to plead guilty. People tend to think that defendants only plead guilty when they are guilty, but research shows that actually some people plead guilty when they are unsure whether they have committed an offence or even when they know that they are innocent. It is therefore very important to understand when and why defendants are pleading guilty.

If you are a defendant who has pled guilty when innocent and would like to share your experiences with us, please get in touch.

Below is some of our existing data on guilty plea decision making.

For our publications on guilty pleas, visit our publications page.

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Adults
Children
Decision Making
Cautions

Guilty Pleas in Adults

Our work examining guilty plea decision-making in adults has shown that many factors other than factual guilt can lead or even pressure defendants to plead guilty. These include the ability to avoid custody by pleading guilty where a custodial sentence could be imposed at trial, the time and money involved in a full trial, and the ability to obtain charge discounts.

Pressures to plead guilty

In the video below, our lab director, Dr Rebecca Helm, joins Dr Ed Johnston, Karl Turner MP and Jerry Bunting to discuss the guilty plea system and pressures that defendants face to plead guilty.

Why adults plead guilty?

We work with legal professionals to better understand why adults plead guilty.

The data below is taken from a pilot study where we asked around 20 lawyers what they think is important to adult defendants when deciding whether to plead guilty. The data highlight potentially important differences in plea decision-making.

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false guilty pleas

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Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue.

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Key stats

73%
of defendants pled guilty in the Crown Court in January – March 2021
26.2
weeks additional waiting time (when compared to median) for those who entered a not guilty plea in January – March 2021
75.1%
of defendants prosecuted by the CPS pled guilty at first hearing in Magistrates Court in 2020

Case Study

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Guilty Pleas in Children

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Guilty Plea rates

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue.

Why do people plea guilty?

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue.

Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue.

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  • Consectetur adipiscing elit
  • Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet
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Risks of false guilty pleas

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Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue.

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Key stats

90%
plead guilty in the Crown Court
67%
plead guilty in the Magistrates Court
36
convictions have been quashed following a guilty plea
14
months extra spent on remand on average when a defendant pleads not guilty

Case Study

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Decision making

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue.

sub header

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue.

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Key Information

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Cautions

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sub header

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum ictum, enim augue.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue.

sub header

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam facilisis purus laoreet imperdiet scelerisque. Quisque bibendum, ipsum ut vestibulum dictum, enim augue.

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Key Information

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Miscarriages of Justice Registry
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