Rodney Roberts, unjustly accused of kidnapping, now stands free thanks to the power of DNA evidence. After an 18-year stint in prison and civil confinement for a crime he didn't commit, Roberts stands tall in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, as of April 2023.
A groundbreaking initiative was launched by an alliance of 24 American civil rights and criminal justice advocates this Wednesday. Their aim? To reform sentencing policies so that those convicted at trial aren't punished more severely than those who plead guilty to identical charges.
Campaigners are pushing to abolish the notorious "trial penalty," where those opting for trial receive longer sentences than those entering plea deals. The stark reality is that those found guilty at trial can face sentences up to three times longer.
The "End the Trial Penalty Coalition" unites groups across ideological lines, encompassing the ACLU, the Innocence Project, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, to the Right on Crime.
Coalition co-founder Norman Reimer, a previous executive director of the NACDL, said, "I firmly believe this could be a transformative moment for our nation's criminal justice system."
The campaign faces hurdles due to the fragmented structure of the U.S. justice system, which spans local, state, and federal levels. Therefore, the coalition plans to lobby at every level, from Congress and state legislatures to courts and local bar associations.
The coalition's reform agenda may include reducing or eliminating mandatory minimum sentences, allowing judges to review and modify harsh sentences, and striking down plea agreement clauses that force defendants to surrender certain rights. Another reform: mandating that prosecutors provide full access to evidence against defendants, regardless of whether they accept a plea deal.
Despite the constitutional right to a trial by jury, trials have become increasingly rare as plea agreements grow in popularity. Guilty pleas often promise defendants lighter sentences, which explains their appeal.
In 2022, a staggering 97.5% of federal court defendants pleaded guilty, as reported by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which develops sentencing policies for the federal judiciary.
"Unlike what 'Law and Order' would have you believe, it's not always investigation, prosecution, then trial," says FAMM President Kevin Ring. "In reality, you'd need to binge a hundred episodes just to witness two to three trials."
Plea deals are often praised for making the justice system more cost-effective and efficient. Defendants usually get shorter sentences for acknowledging their guilt.
But there's a dark side to these agreements. Defendants often don't get access to all the evidence against them and have limited rights to appeal. Activists argue that some defendants feel coerced into taking plea deals to avoid the risk of severe trial sentences—even if they're innocent.
The National Registry of Exonerations, which tracks exoneration cases, has logged 3,300 such instances since 1989.
Rodney Roberts faced this tough decision after being arrested for robbery in New Jersey in 1996. Despite only being connected to a sexual assault and kidnapping through the victim's photo identification, he was coerced into a plea deal.
He was given 20 minutes in court to choose: plead guilty to a lesser charge and serve two out of seven years or risk a life sentence at trial. Roberts took the plea but ended up imprisoned for 18 long years before DNA evidence proved his innocence in 2014.