Plea Bargaining In law
In law, plea bargaining refers to an agreement negotiation process between defense and prosecution, whereby the defendant opts to plead guilty to lesser crimes in exchange for lenient sentencing. In situations where a defendant is being accused of multiple offenses, he or she may also plead guilty to one or more offenses during plea bargaining in exchange for specific sentencing, dismissal of other charges, or lenient sentencing.
The primary apparatus used by attorneys, judges, defense, and prosecutors to reach their collective and individual goals is plea bargaining. Its primary benefit to both defense and prosecution is that it eliminates the risk of completing losing a case at trial. In cases where questionable evidence is brought against the defendant, plea bargaining provides a feasible way for both defense and prosecution attorneys to minimize losses by agreeing on mutual outcomes. One of the ethical concerns surrounding plea bargains is that they can be used to unfairly pressure or influence innocent defendants into confessing even when they are not guilty. There are also concerns that plea bargaining can be used to give guilty defendants lenience even when they do not deserve it.