Some Washington defendants might be pressured to plead guilty to charges because they are unable to afford bail. A study that appeared in the American Economic Review found that people who are released before a trial are 14 percentage points less likely to be found guilty. This is mostly because people who remain in jail have a weaker bargaining position and are more likely to plead guilty.

According to the study, which was conducted by researchers at Harvard, Stanford and Princeton, poorer defendants are less able to make bail. The study found most of them earned under $7,000 in the year leading up to being taken into custody, making a bail of even a few thousand dollars out of reach for them.

Furthermore, the study also found that people who were released before the trial had a higher chance of getting a job three to four years later. This indicates that the system of pretrial detention can be part of a cycle of poverty that it can be difficult to break. On any given day, according to the study, there are around 500,000 people in pretrial detention around the United States. Worldwide, this is the highest rate, and it points to the scope of the problem.

A plea bargain might also be offered to a person who is taken into custody on drunk drivingcharges. People might think pleading guilty is not serious and that it will be easier to put the incident behind them. However, charges of driving under the influence can lead to license suspension and other penalties. It may affect a person’s job in some career fields. Furthermore, if the person is ever charged with drunk driving again, the previous incident on the person’s record could make penalties more severe. An attorney may be able to work with a person to discuss how best to handle these types of charges.