Original Work Research Assessment

Name: Ryan Saldana

Date: December 10, 2019

Subject: Plea Bargains

Assessment:

My objective for my Original Work was to acknowledge the inherent bias and
problems that occur within the United States Criminal Justice System. I compiled
Government statistics, professional and research opinions, interview information and
my own knowledge in order to create a research paper and infographic that clearly
outlines the various aspects as to the “why” and “what” in regards to Plea Bargains in the
United States. I focused on uncovering the link between the negative outlook on Plea
Deals in regard to fairness and why there was unfairness in the first place.

Description of the Process:

Initially, I found it hard to actually complete what I set out to do in my original

work proposal. I found that only general statistics were out there regarding plea deals,
as most of the specific answers I wanted were not available to me. So, seeing this issue, I
transformed my objective to focus on connecting the link as to why Plea Deals are
considered unjust. Through my research, I uncovered a racial link that started way
before the trial process; overrepresentation of minorities in the prison system. Through
the research of opinions and other research I formulated my paper as an argumentative
analysis, that lays out the various facts and uncovers the link.

Materials:

In order to complete my project I needed my laptop and internet, which was

inconveniently taken down due to my family getting a new router halfway through my
research, however, I still prevailed. Furthermore, in order to make a
professional-looking infographic, I asked my parents to help fund Adobe creative cloud
which has photoshop. I utilized Photoshop to create my infographic. Overall, I was
fortunate that I had access to everything I needed in order to complete the assignment,
and I received Adobe Cloud which I look forward to using in my future endeavors.

Utilizing Higher Level Thinking & Resources:

Although I could have just transferred data and statistics straight into my paper and
infographic, I dove deeper into research enough to the point that I could create my own
conclusion about a hotly debated topic. Rather than just join the Plea Bargain “good” or
“bad” population, I wanted to analyze both sides through a nonbiased lense. Through
the interviewing process in ISM, I was able to corroborate word of mouth statistics
regarding Plea Deals with actual statistics. Furthermore, the interviews allowed me to
incorporate different opinions regarding Plea Deals from Assistant District Attorney
Matthew Schlake and Taylor Reese.

Conclusion:

Although I was not able to create as much of a concrete conclusion as I wanted in

the end, I was able to successfully link two aspects of the Criminal Justice System in a
unique way. I approached the argument in a two-sided, non-biased way, adding fuel to
the debate over plea deals. I found that although bias exists, other structural
disadvantages support overrepresentation. Because there is overrepresentation, more
plea deals come from this minority population. Subconscious bias and stereotyping from
this overrepresentation correlates with the unfair and discriminatory plea deals some
face. Overall, I found that Plea Deals are more complex than what meets the eye.