Plea Bargain


Definition of Plea Bargain

A plea bargain is a process by which a prosecutor and the criminal defendant reach a mutually acceptable position about settling a criminal charge. In a successful plea bargain, an agreement is reached between the prosecutor and the defendant where the defendant agrees to plead guilty without a trial in exchange for certain concessions from the prosecutors.



Plea Bargain Explained

A plea bargain is essentially considered as a reward offered to criminal defendants for admitting to their crimes. In a plea bargain, the criminal defendant and the prosecutor reach a compromise; the criminal defendant pleads guilty to some or all charges levied against them by the prosecutors without a trial. In return, the prosecutor makes certain concessions for the criminal defendant. The concessions can be dismissing certain charges, reducing the severity of the charges against the defendant, and/or recommending a specific sentence (one that's acceptable to the defendent and most often it is less time than they risk by going to trial) to the court. Apart from benefits for the defendant, a plea bargain is also beneficial for prosecutors because it saves valuable court time for other high priority cases.





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