Cover -- Half Title -- Dedication -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of Tables -- Table of Statutes -- Table of Cases -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1: The Crown Court -- Background -- Theoretical Context -- Methodology -- Research aims -- Research methods -- Results -- Judicial compliance with s48 -- Structural factors and sentence discounts -- Penal decisions and sentence discounts -- Offence related factors and sentence discounts -- Offender related factors and sentence discounts -- Differences in practice between Centres -- Court of Appeal guidance and sentence discounts -- Conclusions and Implications -- 2: The Magistrates Court -- Introduction -- Background -- Methodology -- Research aims -- Research methods -- Results -- Magistrates' compliance with s48 -- Penal decisions and sentence discounts -- Structural factors and sentence discounts -- Conclusion -- 3: A Comparative Analysis - The United States -- Introduction -- 'Plea Bargaining' - A Matter of Terminology -- Sentence Discounts in the United States -- The federal sentencing guidelines -- State sentencing systems -- Conclusions and Implications -- Appendix I -- Appendix II -- Appendix III -- Bibliography