How do we reconcile the benefits of plea bargaining with the importance of justice? Plea bargaining occupies a relatively ambiguous position in the criminal justice system. Most observers of the system subscribe to its practical benefits, but acknowledge that it is an imperfect method for dispensing justice. The academic literature has consisted largely of attempts to provide a theoretical justification for plea bargaining and conversely of calls for the system's abolition. It focuses on the ethical role of prosecutors who find, in particular cases, which the system is not operating in its expected fashion. Courts and professional responsibility codes impose on prosecutors an undefined obligation to "do justice." Despite the controversies,
