Plea Bargain

Prediction

1. What do you think plea bargain means?

2. Use plea bargain in a sentence :

3. Think of an example of plea bargain in current events:

4. Find an image of plea bargain:

Fun Fact

Definition

An agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant that the defendant will please guilty to a lesser offense to avoid having to stand trial for a more serious offense. 97 percent of federal cases and 94 percent of state cases end in plea bargains, with defendants pleading guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence.

Sentence

The AP Calculus teacher plead guilty to manslaughter in the death of kindness and understanding to avoid going to trial on a first degree murder charge that could have landed him in prison fro 20 years to life.

Example

Stronger Hand for Judges in the ‘Bazaar’ of Plea Deals

Image

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Question(s)

1. Imagine you are innocent of a crime of which you have been accused. Also imagine that you don't have much money to fight the charges against you. The prosecutor offers you a plea bargain whereby you plead guilty to a lesser crime which will put you in prison for three years, or you can go to trial and face the possibility of 20 years in prison. What do you do?

2. Why do prosecutors make plea bargains so much of the time?

3. What would be a consequence of a law outlawing plea bargains?