How Does Plea Bargaining Work?
If you or a loved one find themselves in trouble with the law it is probably a pretty scary experience.
I know because I'm a criminal attorney and I talk to people every day in your exact position.
When you find yourself in trouble, you are probably thinking about two things: how can I make this go away; and, am I going to have to go to jail.
Often plea bargaining has a lot to do with the answers to those two questions.
Plea bargaining, as you probably know, is the process of working out a resolution to your problem with the prosecutor.
Typically plea bargaining is done between your criminal lawyer and the prosecutor on the case, though sometimes it will be with others (even the victim in certain circumstances).
Plea bargaining is a way to resolve cases without going to trial.
Typically a deal is reached between both parties regarding the type of crime that will be admitted to and the sentence to be imposed.
The process of plea bargaining is pretty straightforward too.
The process usually begins with the prosecutor making an opening offer to settle the case.
This offer, much like the offer to purchase a house, typically includes everything the prosecutor wants.
At that point your criminal attorney will look at the plea bargain, discuss the costs and benefits of taking it, and decide where to go from there.
If a plea offer is not taken right off the bat, your lawyer will then get to work to get a better resolution.
This happens by combining a bunch of different factors.
First, your attorney will look at the facts of the case and figure what problems, if any, exist for the state.
If it's going to be tough for them to prove their case, then you have a lot of leverage to get a good result.
Other factors that help in negotiation is your criminal history, a willingness to do things that take the place of jail, and any legal problems the prosecutor might have.
The number of problems in any case is directly related to the deal one is able to get.
Bad cases usually get good deals.
That's the plea bargain process.
Good luck getting the best deal you can.
I know because I'm a criminal attorney and I talk to people every day in your exact position.
When you find yourself in trouble, you are probably thinking about two things: how can I make this go away; and, am I going to have to go to jail.
Often plea bargaining has a lot to do with the answers to those two questions.
Plea bargaining, as you probably know, is the process of working out a resolution to your problem with the prosecutor.
Typically plea bargaining is done between your criminal lawyer and the prosecutor on the case, though sometimes it will be with others (even the victim in certain circumstances).
Plea bargaining is a way to resolve cases without going to trial.
Typically a deal is reached between both parties regarding the type of crime that will be admitted to and the sentence to be imposed.
The process of plea bargaining is pretty straightforward too.
The process usually begins with the prosecutor making an opening offer to settle the case.
This offer, much like the offer to purchase a house, typically includes everything the prosecutor wants.
At that point your criminal attorney will look at the plea bargain, discuss the costs and benefits of taking it, and decide where to go from there.
If a plea offer is not taken right off the bat, your lawyer will then get to work to get a better resolution.
This happens by combining a bunch of different factors.
First, your attorney will look at the facts of the case and figure what problems, if any, exist for the state.
If it's going to be tough for them to prove their case, then you have a lot of leverage to get a good result.
Other factors that help in negotiation is your criminal history, a willingness to do things that take the place of jail, and any legal problems the prosecutor might have.
The number of problems in any case is directly related to the deal one is able to get.
Bad cases usually get good deals.
That's the plea bargain process.
Good luck getting the best deal you can.
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