The overwhelming majority of criminal convictions in the united states result from rather than trials.

The convictions result from guilty pleas rather than extended court trials. This is done as a way of expediting the criminal process, because many courts are burdened with a large number of cases: having defendants plead guilty to a count that might be lesser than the original charge is done as a way of lessening this burden.

What effect did the development of trade have on settlement patterns in medieval times