ABSTRACT
Ten million misdemeanor cases are filed annually compared to just over two million felonies (Natapoff, 2015). Misdemeanors make up the vast majority of arrests and cases processed through the criminal justice system every year. Yet, due to their less serious nature, misdemeanor crimes are almost completely ignored by scholars and practitioners. The lack of emphasis and scrutiny from criminal justice personnel, judicial system operators, academics, and society at large, on misdemeanors criminal cases borders on neglect. This book has illuminated the myriad problems concerning the misdemeanor courts and the processing of misdemeanor defendants. Police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges contribute to the problems inherent in the lower courts.
