Edkins’ Book Honored As Best in Psychology, Law

A System of Pleas: Social Science’s Contribution to the Real Legal System edited by Florida Tech psychology professor Vanessa Edkins and Allison Redlich received the 2021 Lawrence S. Wrightsman Book Award for best book in the field of psychology and law from the American Psychology-Law Society.

Formerly the AP-LS Book Award, the honor was renamed for Wrightsman by the American Psychology-Law Society executive committee in August 2019 based on his contribution to the field, specifically through his books, as his psychology and law textbook is frequently used in the education of students in the field of psychology and law.

The award was presented at the society’s annual conference in Denver last month.

A System of Pleas: Social Science’s Contribution to the Real Legal System was published by Oxford University Press in 2019. According to a summary, the book “brings together the burgeoning body of research on plea bargaining. Drawing attention to the fact that convictions today are nearly synonymous with guilty pleas, this contributed volume begins with an overview and history of plea bargaining, with chapters focusing on defendants, defense attorneys and prosecutors and plea bargains; influences on plea decision-making, including race, juvenile justice system involvement, and innocence; and the results of a “system of pleas”, such as sentencing disparities and mass incarceration, collateral consequences, and disenfranchisement. A concluding chapter by the volume’s editors examines ways to move forward within an entrenched system.”

It is available on Amazon and through other retailers.