New “End the Trial Penalty Coalition” seeks to end “coercive elements of plea bargaining” and to restore right to a jury trial

Via email, I received notice of a new colelction of advocacy groups called the “End the Trial Penalty Coalition.”  Here are excerpts from the email/press release from this new Coaltion (with links from the original):

Twenty-four criminal justice organizations, impacted people, think tanks, academics, activists, and reform leaders from across the ideological spectrum have united to end the trial penalty — the substantial and coercive difference between the sentence in a plea offer prior to trial versus the much greater sentence a defendant often receives after trial.  Those who choose to go to trial and are convicted often face sentences that are, on average, three times the plea offer and sometimes measured in decades.

The coercive and punitive effects of the trial penalty are so pervasive that they have virtually eliminated our constitutional right to trial. In fact, over 97% of cases ending in a conviction never go to trial, leading to a range of issues reverberating through our legal system, including the waiver of numerous constitutional freedoms and rights, overcriminalization, loss of public oversight, and racial injustice.  The Coalition aims to restore the right to trial, helping right these wrongs to ensure a fair, rational, and humane criminal legal system.

Members of this new Coalition will work together to raise awareness of the adverse effects of a justice system without trials, advocate policy reform, and forge relationships with key policymakers.  The Coalition will also serve as a resource for people interested in participating in an impactful criminal legal reform movement.  The Coalition has published a comprehensive Policy Overview which includes policy ideas to combat coercive practices in the plea bargaining process, to improve data collection and transparency, and to foster post-trial reform and accountability measures.