Lucian Dervan, associate professor of law and director of criminal justice studies for Belmont Law, recently spoke at the American Bar Association (ABA) Criminal Justice Section Fall Institute in Washington, D.C. Dervan opened the conference with an address examining the history of plea bargaining, and in his role as chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section, he also announced the launch of a new ABA Criminal Justice Section Task Force. The Plea Bargaining Task Force will bring together a diverse group of individuals representing various institutions and perspectives in the criminal justice system to examine plea bargaining and provide recommendations regarding the best path forward.
During his time in D.C., Dervan was also invited to the Embassy of Japan to meet with leaders from the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office and various regional prosecutor offices to discuss Japan’s new prosecutorial agreement law and share his research on plea bargaining.
“Our discussion focused on the many lessons we have learned regarding plea bargaining in the United States,” Dervan said. “I was also able to share with the group our current law and psychology research into plea bargaining and innocence in Japan and South Korea. My message to the group was that plea bargaining’s innocence issue is a global phenomenon. My sincerest thanks to the government of Japan and those present at the meeting for the opportunity to discuss this important issue. I hope there are more opportunities to discuss the best path forward for Japan as it begins to implement the prosecutorial agreement law.”
