HINTON 1

Melissa Hinton
CJUS 2020
Units 13-15 Video Essay Assignment
Dr. Anna Netterville
10/27/2013
A plea bargain is the negotiating of a defendant to accept a plea of guilty to a lesser charge when the
prosecutor agrees to drop a more serious charge. Plea bargaining helps the courts to be less overfilled
by heavy caseloads. The downsides to plea bargaining are great. Sometimes it forces a person that is
otherwise innocent to take a plea so that they may avoid a jail sentence altogether. Because some
defendants are destitute, they may be unable to pay for a lawyer that can be more attentive to their
case than a public appointed defender could. If a person takes a plea bargain, although innocent, they
may lose public housing, assistance, etc. It also gives prosecutors an incentive to convict clients and be
selective about the cases they will pursue. If the prosecution believes they will receive high conviction
rates with plea bargains. If a person refuses a plea agreement and cannot post bail, they may wait quite
some time to go to trial.
Even if an informant is deemed inept, or if evidence is lacking, and the case is thrown out the plea
agreement cannot be reversed. When you take a plea bargain you are making an admission to guilt. A
judge is less likely to hear a case where a person has already admitted guilt. A person that receives
probation as a sentence as a result of plea bargaining, must continue to serve out the remainder of the
plea bargain.