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124 W. Va. L. Rev. 421 (2021-2022)
Reported Experiences with Plea Bargaining: A Theoretical Analysis of the Legal Standard

handle is hein.journals/wvb124 and id is 441 raw text is: REPORTED EXPERIENCES WITH PLEA BARGAINING: A THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF THE LEGAL STANDARD Krystia Reed,* Allison Franz, Vincent Calderon, Alisha Meschkow & Valerie F. Reyna** ABSTRACT Although the majority of criminal cases in the United States are settled with plea bargains, very little empirical evidence exists to explain how defendants make life-altering plea bargain decisions. This Article first discusses the psychologicalfactors involved in plea bargaining decisions. Next, this Article empirically examines the factors involved in plea decisions of real-life defendants within the legal and psychological contexts. Finally, this Article highlights the psychological issues that need to be further examined in plea- bargaining literature. I. IN TRODU CTION ............................................................................. 422 II. CURRENT LEGAL STANDARDS OF PLEA BARGAINING................. 423 A. Knowingly or Intelligently ............................................. 424 B . Voluntarily.........................................................................425 C . C om p etent .........................................................................427 III. PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON PLEA DECISIONS.................... 428 A. Fuzzy Trace Theory (FTT) ...............................................428 B. FTT and Plea Bargaining ..................................................... 431 1. Gist and Verbatim Reasoning ......................................... 431 2. Values ............................................................................. 433 3. Knowing, Intelligent, Voluntary, and Competent........... 434 IV. THE PRESENT STUDY ................................................................... 434 A. Perception of Risk and Reasoning ........................................435 B . Legal Standard...................................................................... 437 1. Knowing or Intelligent.................................................... 437 2. Voluntary ........................................................................ 439 i. Direct Costs .............................................................. 439 ii. Indirect C osts............................................................440 * University of Texas at El Paso * Cornell University 421

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