Lucian E. Dervan

14 July

Another incredible @ABACJS Global White Collar Crime Institute in the books! Thanks to all who helped make this wonderful gathering possible, including the Law Society of Singapore, our sponsors, our planning committee, our speakers, and the ABACJS staff. Until next time. #ABACJS

4 May

Book Alert - Peeling the Orange: White Collar Crime Trial Problem w @whitecollarprof.bsky.social. Providing a practical application for an experiential learning of white collar criminal advocacy from the initial meeting with the client through sentencing. Available now! cap-press.com/books/isbn/9...

papers.ssrn.comWhat is the Standard of Proof for Guilty Pleas?<p><span>Among those who study or practice in the American criminal system, it is well known that almost all criminal convictions are accomplished through guilt

29 Apr

New published paper - What is the Standard of Proof for Guilty Pleas? The piece explores the confusion around this question and proposes a path forward that values accuracy in a system dominated by pleas. Forthcoming Texas A&M Law Review. Draft below. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

papers.ssrn.comThe Evolving Global Standard of Corporate Criminal Liability and Lingering Questions About Corporate EthosThis Article explores the approaches to corporate criminal liability in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and argues that both the United Sta

28 Apr

New published paper - The Evolving Global Standard of Corporate Criminal Liability and Lingering Questions About Corporate Ethos, 55 Stetson Law Review 431 (2026). The piece examines corporate criminal liability in the US, UK, and Australia. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

americanbar.orgAn International Guide to Corporate Internal Investigations, Second EditionWritten by more than 40 highly skilled practitioners from 11 key jurisdictions, the new second edition of this book introduces readers to the complex and developing area of corporate internal investi…

22 Dec 2025

New book alert! I was honored to join my friends and colleagues as an editor of this new book featuring 11 key jurisdictions (including Australia) that is a must have for anyone working in the international white collar space. Get your copy today! www.americanbar.org/products/inv...

12 Dec 2025

Excited to announce that the Plea Bargaining Institute has filed its first amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Hunter v U.S. We look forward to continuing to bring important research findings re plea bargaining and defendant decision-making to the attention of the courts.

17 Nov 2025

A full house as we start the 2025 @abacjs Geneva International White Collar Crime Institute with a meet the enforcers panel.

8 Apr 2025

A wonderful joint event from the Plea Bargaining Institute and the Quattrone Center on plea bargaining policies, reforms, and research. Thank you to our friends at the Quattrone Center for hosting us in Philadelphia. #PBI

Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice@quattronecenter.org

Big thanks to Lucian Dervan and all of our friends at the Plea Bargaining Institute for excellent presentations and discussions at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School on Friday!

belmont.eduLucian Dervan Receives Distinguished Award from American Bar AssociationBelmont Professor of Law and Director of Criminal Justice Studies Lucian Dervan accepted the Charles R. English-Neal Sonnett Award from the Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association, Ma...

19 Mar 2025

Earlier this month I received the Charles R. English - Neal Sonnett Award from the @abacjs for my work in the field of criminal justice. I am deeply honored to receive this award & to have received an award carrying the names of two inspiring champions of justice. www.belmont.edu/stories/arti...

thepleabargainingblog.blogspot.comGrowing Use of Sentencing Differentials in ResentencingsMuch attention has been focused in recent years on sentencing differentials in the plea bargaining context. The term sentencing differential...

21 Feb 2025

Growing Use of Sentencing Differentials in Resentencings. #PleaBargainingBlog #FixThePlea

nacdl.orgNACDL - A Principled Path to Plea Bargaining ReformPlea bargaining began as a shadowy concept prohibited by the common law, but it became a force dominating the legal system. Professor Lucian Dervan explains the costs of plea bargains and discusses re...

18 Feb 2025

New article on plea bargaining and plea bargaining reform in the @nacdl.org Champion Magazine.

pleabargaininginstitute.comPBI Academic Working Group Co-Chairs Appointed - Plea Bargaining Institue

11 Feb 2025

The Plea Bargaining Institute is pleased to announce the creation of the Institute's Academic Working Group and the appointment of the first chairs of the group - Dr. Rebecca Helm (University of Exeter), Dr. Miko Wilford (Iowa State University), and Dr. Tina Zottoli (Montclair State University).

6 Feb 2025

Consistent with ABA CJS Plea Bargain Task Force Principle 4, new AG Bondi memo re charging and plea bargaining makes clear that prosecutors “may not use criminal charges to exert leverage to induce a guilty plea.” #FixthePlea #PleaBargaining

americanbar.orgThe Cost of Plea Bargains: Reflections and Recommendations from the ABA Plea Bargain Task ForceThe Cost of Plea Bargains tells the story of plea bargaining's rise, the early roots of the movement to reform pleas, and the work and recommendations of the American Bar Association's Plea bargainin…

Interested in plea bargaining? Take a look at this book from the ABA which tells the story of plea bargaining's rise, the early roots of the movement to reform pleas, and the work and recommendations of the ABA's Plea Bargain Task Force. #FixthePlea www.americanbar.org/products/inv...

In the 1970 Brady decision approving the use of plea bargaining for the first time, the U.S. Supreme Court relied upon an assumption that innocent people do not falsely plead guilty. Yet case studies and research since that time demonstrate this assumption is false. #FixthePlea #CriminalJustice

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psycnet.apa.orgAPA PsycNet

Additional researchers have conducted similar psychological deception studies since 2013 and found false plea rates “near or exceeding fifty percent.” psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-...

americanbar.orgamericanbar.org

Read about how to create a fairer, more just, and more reliable plea bargaining system in this 2023 report from the ABA Criminal Justice Section Plea Bargain Task Force. www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/criminaljustice/plea-bargain-tf-report.pdf

law.umich.edulaw.umich.edu

Various studies have confirmed plea bargaining’s innocence problem. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, for example, false pleas of guilty made up 25% of the exoneration database in 2022. www.law.umich.edu/special/exon...

papers.ssrn.comThe Innocent Defendant’s Dilemma: An Innovative Empirical Study of Plea Bargaining’s Innocence ProblemIn 1989, Ada JoAnn Taylor was accused of murder and presented with stark options. If she pleaded guilty, she would be rewarded with a sentence of ten to forty y

Further, a 2013 psychological study I conducted with Dr. Vanessa Edkins found that 56% of the innocent participants were willing to falsely plead guilty to misconduct that had not occurred. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

pleabargaininginstitute.comPBI 2024 Supreme Court Retrospective Report (1970-2019) - Plea Bargaining Institue

There are 59 significant U.S. Supreme Court plea bargaining decisions since 1970. This Plea Bargaining Institute report explores the history of plea bargaining and the development of Supreme Court precedent from 1970 until 2019. #pleabargaining pleabargaininginstitute.com/reports/pbi-...