Verified Document

Plea Bargaining And Crime Essay

Plea Bargaining Many criminal cases are often resolved out of court through agreement between the aggrieved party and the offender. The process of achieving such a settlement is referred to as Plea Bargain in law. It is a practice that is used in many jurisdictions to resolve cases. Either of the sides in the case may initiate the Plea bargain process. Both sides have to agree before such a process succeeds (How Courts Work | Public Education). The Plea-Bargaining process involves pleading guilty by a defendant to a lesser charge. It may also involve pleading guilty to only one or all of the charges leveled; with the prosecuting attorney pleading for or recommending leniency in the sentences. It should be noted that the judge is not bound by the recommendation for leniency by the prosecution. Some plea bargains are approved by courts while others are not.

Sentence Bargaining and Charge Bargaining

In sentence bargaining, the defendant pleads guilty to the charges after both sides agree on the type of sentence recommended by the prosecution. If, for instance, defendant named Jerry agrees to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, and the prosecution agrees to recommend that the defendant be sentenced to a jail term, it constitutes Sentence Bargaining. On the other hand, in Charge bargaining,...

Terry, for instance, may agree to plead guilty to trespass when the original charge was burglary. If the prosecution agrees to drop the burglary charge, the process is then referred to Charge Bargaining (Schwartzbach).
Plea Bargaining- Advantages and Disadvantages

One of the immediate benefits of Plea Bargaining is that the courts and the state are enabled to dispense with case workloads much faster. Prosecutors are also relieved in terms of their workload providing them with more time to handle the more serious cases pending in courts. In criminal defense, the process of Plea Bargaining also helps to remove the element of uncertainty in criminal trials (Advantages and Disadvantages of Plea Bargaining | OccupyTheory). The defendants are assured that no more serious crime charges will be filed against them. The process helps to bring the offender to face realities and enforces their submission to the law. They (defendants), in the process agree to take the blame for their prosecution. They save the courts, the prosecutions and all other parties involved the…

Sources used in this document:
References

American Bar Association. How Courts Work | Public Education. (n.d.). Retrieved January 4, 2017, from http://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/resources/law_related_education_network/how_courts_work/pleabargaining.html

Liberal Arts Outreach. (n.d.). The Crime Control Model -- Introduction to Criminal Justice. Retrieved January 4, 2017, from http://elearning.la.psu.edu/crim/100/lesson-1/the-crime-control-model

OccupyTheory | Online magazine about issues related to the Occupy movement. (n.d.). Advantages and Disadvantages of Plea Bargaining | OccupyTheory. Retrieved January 4, 2017, from http://occupytheory.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-plea-bargaining/

Schwartzbach. (n.d.). Lawyers, Legal Forms, Law Books & Software, Free Legal Information - Nolo.com. What are the different kinds of plea bargaining? | Nolo.com. Retrieved January 4, 2017, from http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-the-different-kinds-plea-bargains.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Plea Bargaining Pleading for Justice Plea Bargaining
Words: 1236 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Plea Bargaining Pleading for Justice Plea bargaining by its very nature implies negotiation, which in turn means that two or more parties are seeking to achieve specific goals with the cooperation of the other parties. In the absence of plea bargaining the parties would face each other in court as adversaries in front of a referee and their conduct and the trial's proceedings would be strictly controlled according to the law and

Plea Bargaining: What Does It
Words: 2084 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

The ethical considerations have been addressed in the survey by the elements of the plea bargain provided to the individuals surveyed. Herzog's study shall serve as the model for the study proposed here. This study should serve anyone interested in understanding the public opinion and perceptions as they relate to plea bargaining. References (recommended) www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5013705813 Bibas, S. (2005). White-Collar Plea Bargaining and Sentencing after Booker. William and Mary Law Review, 47(3), 721+.

Plea Bargaining, Otherwise Known As:
Words: 3023 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Proposal

" This means that, "It is an indictment of the criminal justice system, not plea bargaining itself" (Sandefur, 2003, p. 31). The Constitution incorporated the right to a trial into the process, and it does not necessarily entail that: the defendant needs to know his rights in waiving them or hiring a legal counsel to help. Sandefur finally stated that, "Plea bargaining is not perfect, but its problems are procedures

Plea Bargaining in the United States
Words: 1906 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Benefits From Plea Bargaining? Although the U.S. Constitution guarantees all defendants a trial by jury, individuals entering the criminal justice system today have about a one-in-twenty chance of actually undergoing a trial, with the rest of the cases being plea bargained away. While this approach facilitates the disposition of cases in already overbooked courtrooms, plea bargaining has been the source of a growing amount of criticism as a result of

Plea Bargaining System in the
Words: 1299 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

" However, in 1852, the Massachusetts legislature removed the prosecution's power to nol pros without the judge's consent. This eliminated the prosecution's key leverage over defendants in liquor cases: the power to charge and then drop some charges in exchange for a plea. Sure enough, the number of clear plea bargains dropped dramatically, and the number of trials increased concomitantly (Fisher, 2003)." BENEFITS There are numerous benefits to using the plea bargain system.

History Plea Bargaining When 2. What
Words: 994 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

history plea bargaining? When ? 2. What recent statistics plea bargaining U.S. ( current year)? What Bargaining With Pleas The history of plea bargaining can be traced back to the end of the colonial era in the United States. Plea bargaining was known to exist in this country since at least 1780, a fact that is corroborated by author George Fisher. Fisher dedicated a significant amount of research to the history

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now