How did Alaska's ban on plea bargaining from 1975 to 1993 affect trials and sentences?

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Salem witch trial — Plea bargaining A scene of the trials in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony, hand-colored engraving.

Alaska’s prohibition of plea bargaining between 1975 and 1993 resulted in a notable increase in the number of trials within the first few years of the policy's implementation.1

Regarding sentencing, the impact was nuanced:
* Minor and first-time offenders: Individuals convicted of minor offenses or those with no prior criminal record received harsher sentences compared to those previously negotiated through plea bargains.1
* Violent offenders: The ban had little effect on the severity of sentences for violent offenders, as these individuals were already receiving high sentences prior to the implementation of the ban.1

By requiring more cases to proceed to trial rather than being resolved through negotiated pleas, the state shifted the burden of the justice system toward formal adjudication for a broader range of defendants.1