Unforunately, most of these convictions are the result of plea bargains.
Plea bargains undermine our criminal justice system.
Rather than build a case and take it to trial, prosecuters all too often settle for a guilty plea on a lesser charge. A first degree murder case gets plea bargained down to voluntary manslaughter case. A violent criminal facing life in prison walks away instead with a few months in jail. Compounding matters is the way our courts sentence criminals. In addition, convicts are usually eligible for parole after serving only one third of their minimum sentence.