The Effect of Collateral Consequences on Plea Bargaining

The purpose of this research study was to build a literature review on the effect of collateral consequences on guilty pleas. Collateral consequences are additional ramifications (i.e., losing a job, losing the right to vote, deportation, etc.) for individuals convicted of a crime; most of them apply to felony convictions A guilty plea is an arrangement between attorneys that allow the defendant to plead guilty to gain either a lesser charge or lesser punishment. This study is part of a larger project and was aimed at building foundational knowledge of collateral consequences, gathering data on guilty pleas, and developing a survey. Information was gathered through peer-reviewed, scholarly articles and Supreme Court cases, which provided insight into limitations of prior research and ways to develop questions that further develop the literature surrounding collateral consequences and their effect on plea bargaining.