Plea_Bargaining

Plea Bargaining Plea bargaining is all too common a process in the criminal justice system. Often, the defense negotiates with the prosecution to have a defendant plead guilty to a criminal charge with the expectation of receiving a lighter sentence. The problem with this quick-fix tactic is that serious felons are pleading guilty to misdemeanors and keeping a cleaner record and getting reduced punishment. Plea bargaining is necessary; however, defendants tried on felony charges should not be able to plead down to misdemeanor charges. Plea bargaining “provides criminals with excessive leniency” (Nasheri 25). According to The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia online, plea bargaining means that the defendant waives the right to trial, losing any chance for acquittal, but avoids conviction of a more serious charge. A 1992 survey of the seventy-five most populous counties found that “guilty pleas as a result of plea bargaining accounted for ninety-two percent of all convictions in state courts” (Guidorizzi). In situations like this, the guilty defendants were either given less serious charges or shortened jail sentences. Men and women who are committing felonies have the opportunity to plead guilty to less serious charges. A criminal can be punished to plea, charges, bargaining, guilty, charge, should, criminal, serious, misdemeanor, plead, justice, territo, record, felony, cases, bargains, able, trial, system, result, rape, necessary, misdemeanors, however, guidorizzi, future, felonies, example, defendants, criminals, consequences, assault, though, state, sexual