Research Design and Methodology -- Crime and Punishment in the United States: 1975 -- The Disposition of Criminal Cases in the United States During the Mid-1970s -- The Disposition of Criminal Cases in the United States Historically -- The Mechanics of Guilty Plea Negotiations -- Patterns of Negotiation in the Disposition of Criminal Cases -- Inter- and Intrajurisdictional Policies and Practices on Pleading and Sentencing -- Truth in Pleading: The Need for a Written Guilty Plea Agreement -- Findings and Implications of the Research -- Recommendations for Change --