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The News reports on how a system of plea deals at the Buffalo City Court has resulted in ill-advised bargaining and few serious convictions. In two years, the report says, the court has made itself out to be one of deals and dismissals, where defendents are far less likely to leave with a misdemeanor conviction. Some statistics will help: nearly three-fourths of those who walk into this court facing criminar charges walk out without a criminal record. Furthermore, the most common sentence for even those who are convicted with severe penalities is a conditional discharge - stay out of trouble for an year and follow court instructions, then there are no punishments.