A plea bargain is a way to resolve a criminal case that can give you some control over the outcome of the case. You have to think about what outcome you want and which ones you might be willing to consider if you are going to try for a plea bargain.
When you are trying to work out a plea bargain, your attorney will work closely with the prosecution so that you can find out what offers are on the table. You should consider these carefully because the terms of the deal can vary greatly.
You might think of a plea bargain in terms of getting you a lighter sentence than what was possible with a trial. While this is a common point in a plea bargain, there is another one that you need to think about carefully.
Some plea bargains include charge bargaining. This means that you work on getting a charge reduction in your plea bargain. This can indirectly lead to a sentence reduction. One reason why some people try to get a sentence reduction is to knock a felony charge down to a misdemeanor.
Many courts are willing to entertain plea deals as a way to help deal with the overcrowding of the court docket. Plus, they enable prosecutors to focus on the more serious cases that need to be addressed by a trial.
In the case of domestic violence, you need to think about how plea deals might impact you immediately but you also need to think beyond this. You also need to think about what the terms of a plea deal will mean for your future.
Source: FindLaw, “Plea Bargains: In Depth,” accessed Jan. 12, 2018