PROSECUTORIAL DISCRETION AND PRESS COVERAGE - THE DECISION TO TRY THECASE

The vast majority of criminal court cases are settled through the plea -bargaining process; only a few actually reach die trial stage. Previo us research suggests a significant relationship between greater press coverage and plea-bargaining behavior. The authors seek to understand the effect of press coverage on the prosecutor's decision to try the c ase. They study the dispositions of homicides for an 11-year period (1 980-1990) for a southwestern city of average population (120,000) that spans the tenure of three district attorneys. The relationship betwee n the political agenda of the prosecutor and the disposition of murder s is not as clear as previous research suggests. No significant relati onships are found between press coverage and the disposition of the ca se.