Plea bargain

A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case in which a prosecutor and a defendant arrange to settle the case against the defendant. The defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest (and often allocute) in exchange for some concession from the prosecutor. This concession can include reducing the original charge or charges, dismissing some of the charges against the defendant or limiting the punishment a court can impose on the defendant. Generally, a plea bargain allows the parties to agree on the outcome and settle the pending charge. In colloquial terms this is known as "copping a plea".

Related Topics:
Plea - No contest - Allocute

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Plea bargaining is a significant part of the criminal justice system in the United States—the vast majority of criminal cases in the United States are settled by plea bargain rather than by a jury trial. Plea bargains are subject to the approval of the court.

Related Topics:
United States - Jury trial

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In some common law jurisdictions, such as England and Wales, Victoria, Australia, plea bargaining is permitted only to the extent that the prosecutors and the defense can agree that the defendant will plead guilty to some charges and the prosecutor will drop the remainder. The courts in these jurisdictions have made it plain that they will always decide what the appropriate penalty is to be. No bargaining takes place over the penalty.

Related Topics:
England and Wales - Victoria - Australia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~