Elsa Euvrard
PhD student in Criminology
Université de Montréal
Award-winning publication: Pre-trial detention and guilty pleas: inducement or coercion? Punishment & Society
Published in: SAGE Journals
Abstract
In her paper, Elsa Euvrard examines the contexts and reasons for which individuals held in remand may be compelled to plead guilty. She also reveals the existence of structural coercion stemming from pressure on the accused by lawyers and demonstrates that innocent people may plead guilty to get out of remand quicker. Her work significantly contributes to the fields of criminology and law since her findings call several of the foundations of the justice system—such as the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial within reasonable time—into question.