Plea bargaining pros and cons Essay

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Plea Bargaining Over 90% of criminal convictions come from negotiated pleas and this is the result of simply having better defense attorneys nowadays. The way plea bargaining works is the defendant pleads guilty, however he or she ends up getting a lesser sentence, fewer counts, reduced charges, etc. depending on the type of negotiation they make. Once they plead guilty, they must then allocate, which means they must describe how and why they committed their crime. Although it sounds like a good deal, plea bargaining has its detriments as well as its benefits. One advantage of plea bargaining is that “it often saves the time and expense of a trial, but it does typically mean that the defendant must plead guilty to some crime. Many people often wonder if justice is really served when a person pleads to a lesser offense and is given a lighter punishment than they might have had they been found guilty of the original charge.” (wisegeek.org) Thus, there have been cases where a defendant had to plead guilty, even though they were innocent. “The defendant's lawyer might be most convincing if the plea means no jail time, but even without incarceration, an innocent person may have just admitted to a crime that he or she didn't commit. This could mean carrying a criminal record, paying fines, or being on probation, regardless of innocence.” (wisegeek.org) On the other hand, a person who is guilty benefits from a plea bargain because they get less time in jail, a lesser sentence, reduced charges, or lesser counts. There are even programs offered that are similar to probation except it won’t show on the defendant’s record. Not only can the defendants benefit from plea bargaining but so can the prosecutor and the defense attorney. For the prosecutor, a plea bargain guarantees a conviction. “Moreover, prosecutors may

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