The Plea
Posted by: ErikL on 15 June 2004
This week on PBS' Frontline:
For a number of years, Bikel has been covering America's criminal justice system - or perhaps better to call it "the injustice" system. Bikel has investigated the validity of "repressed" memories that have been used to convict people of "remembered" crimes; she has revealed how easily children's testimony can be manipulated in abuse cases; she has examined the problems with relying on informants or snitches; she documented how inmates can remain in prison despite DNA evidence that excludes them as perpetrators; and she has told stories about what really happens to those wrongly imprisoned who are exonerated after years in jail.
As a result of Bikel's reporting, some wrongly accused and wrongly convicted have gone free. Bikel is the classic case of a journalist whose attention to those who have largely been forgotten has made a real difference. Her work challenges the justice system to do better.
This week,in FRONTLINE's last program of the season, Bikel turns her attention to plea bargaining. Despite the exciting courtroom dramas played out on entertainment programs, the fact is that nearly 95% of criminal charges wind up being decided by plea bargaining - a procedure that can result in a type of injustice that is mostly hidden from public view.
In "The Plea" this Thursday night, you will find real cases that are surprising and disturbing. As Bikel told me, "I have always found it interesting that, at this point in time, 'trial by jury' is almost non-existent, and yet the jury system continues to be seen as the most important symbol of the American justice system."
For a number of years, Bikel has been covering America's criminal justice system - or perhaps better to call it "the injustice" system. Bikel has investigated the validity of "repressed" memories that have been used to convict people of "remembered" crimes; she has revealed how easily children's testimony can be manipulated in abuse cases; she has examined the problems with relying on informants or snitches; she documented how inmates can remain in prison despite DNA evidence that excludes them as perpetrators; and she has told stories about what really happens to those wrongly imprisoned who are exonerated after years in jail.
As a result of Bikel's reporting, some wrongly accused and wrongly convicted have gone free. Bikel is the classic case of a journalist whose attention to those who have largely been forgotten has made a real difference. Her work challenges the justice system to do better.
This week,in FRONTLINE's last program of the season, Bikel turns her attention to plea bargaining. Despite the exciting courtroom dramas played out on entertainment programs, the fact is that nearly 95% of criminal charges wind up being decided by plea bargaining - a procedure that can result in a type of injustice that is mostly hidden from public view.
In "The Plea" this Thursday night, you will find real cases that are surprising and disturbing. As Bikel told me, "I have always found it interesting that, at this point in time, 'trial by jury' is almost non-existent, and yet the jury system continues to be seen as the most important symbol of the American justice system."