What is a Plea Bargain?

Terms like plea bargain, plea deal, copping plea, plea agreement, is used in criminal case, where an agreement is reached between the defendant and the prosecutor. The defendant is provided an opportunity to plead guilty in exchange of a lighter sentence.

In most cases courts offer plea bargain to criminals who would possibly get less years of imprisonment, in case they are convicted. This saves a lot of time of the courts and also helps the jails avoid overcrowding. However, a judge is not necessarily present when such an agreement is reached.  Given the uncertainty of his win or lose, a prosecutor also favors a plea bargain. Sometimes, plea bargain is used as a tool against the co defendants. The defendants also find such an agreement favorable when they think their case is weak. The attorney feels that it would be in the best interest of his client to accept a reduced sentence instead of long term punishment. There are three areas where a plea bargaining is done.

• Charge bargain       the charge is reduced.
• Sentence bargain    the sentence is reduced to a lesser one.
• Facts bargain          certain facts are not talked about in exchange of certain other facts.

Hence plea bargain is one of the best options for all those make or maintain the laws, and even for those who break the laws.