Punishment Menus as a Means to Reduce Appeals by Guilty Offenders

Appeals are a time- and resource-consuming process, especially from the perspective of the justice system. We introduce punishment menus and argue that one of their advantages can be their capacity to reduce the likelihood of appeals by guilty offenders. Specifically, when offenders can select their punishment, they may experience a greater sense of psychological ownership over the decision and refrain from appealing. While designing appropriate punishment menus requires thoughtful consideration, decision-makers should explore their potential as a strategic approach to streamline the justice process and address appeal-related challenges.