In 1982, California voters passed Proposition 8, promoted by supporters as the Victims' Bill of Rights, on the initiative ballot. In Politics and Plea Bargaining, Candace McCoy describes the political genesis of victims' rights legislation and the impact Proposition 8 has had on plea bargaining.

Placing Proposition 8 in the context of earlier efforts to reform plea bargaining, McCoy explores the meaning of due process in the criminal courts. Emphasizing the concept of "publicness," the book suggests changes that would open the justice system to more public observation and explanation.