Pros And Cons Of Plea Bargains

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In the media, we see the prosecuting attorney and the defense lawyer battling it out in court. The outcome of their battle will decide a defendant's sentence and ultimately their fate. However, in real life the drama and suspense are replaced by something less exciting, but just as decisive. Plea bargains are used regularly by attorneys, they help speed up the process of trial and make the due process system work faster. The prosecution and defense attorney usually work out a mutual agreement for a lesser sentencing for the defendant if they admit to a lesser crime. However, there are several drawbacks from these plea bargains. As shown in The Plea, a PBS documentary about the different situations about plea bargaining that resulted in the justice systems failing to protect the citizens that it was designed to protect. In turn, we …show more content…

They were arrested for a crime they didn’t commit and shared a jail cell together. The police based their arrest on an informant that was later proven unreliable. The entire reasoning for the arrest was skeptical at best, yet the police officers in question still went ahead and arrested these people, instead of waiting for more evidence. They both asked their court-appointed lawyers to investigate the case and prove their innocence. Not only did the lawyer didn’t spend time with them, Stewart’s lawyer doesn’t even remember her being his client. The lawyers told them to take the plea deal; plead guilty and get out with probation or go to trial and risk “five to 99 years.” Kelley’s parents were able to get her bail bonds reduced, so she could go home to await trial. Stewart, a single mother of two, could not afford to be in jail because her kids depended on her, so she took the plea and admitted to a crime she didn’t commit.

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