The November Coalition recommends that you ask your local PBS affiliate to re-air The Plea. We also suggest you ask your local library to order a tape or DVD of The Plea. Alternatively, you could purchase a copy yourself and/or donate one to your library.

Written, produced and directed by Ofra Bickel (air date 6/17/04)

It is the centerpiece of America's judicial process: the right to a trial by jury system that places a defendant's fate in the hands of a jury of one's peers. But it may surprise many to learn that nearly 95 percent of all cases resulting in felony convictions never reach a jury. Instead, they are settled through plea bargains in which a defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence.

"The real American justice system is unlike anything depicted on Law & Order and Court TV," says producer Ofra Bikel. "I know I was stunned when I realized that only about 5 percent of all felony convictions result from jury trials. The rest are settled by plea bargains. And these deals aren't always to the defendant's advantage."

"The Plea" tells several stories -- different people, different charges, different parts of the country, all with one thing in common: the difficult dilemma of confronting a plea. The program also interviews experts on the criminal justice system.

The four defendants profiled in "The Plea" describe being pressured by prosecutors and judges into accepting plea bargains that resulted in them spending years behind bars for crimes they say they didn't commit. Those who refuse to cut a deal, insiders say, are often rewarded with extra-harsh prison sentences as a lesson to future defendants.

Ofra Bickel was also writer/producer/director of SNITCH, the award-winning Frontline documentary showing how the use of informants has corrupted the very heart of the American criminal justice system.

For more information on The Plea, and to order, visit The Plea/PBS Frontline web page.

For more information on SNITCH, visit The SNITCH/PBS Frontline web page.