plea negotiations
Pre-trial deal-making
Plea negotiations are discussions between a defendant (or their attorney) and prosecutors to resolve criminal charges without trial.
The defendant typically agrees to plead guilty to lesser charges or fewer counts in exchange for a lighter sentence or dropped charges.
Most criminal cases in the United States end through plea negotiations rather than trial: The plea negotiations dragged on for months before a deal was reached.
- prosecutorGovernment's trial lawyer
- defendantParty facing charges
- defense attorneyLawyer representing the accused
- behind closed doorsIn private, unobserved
- statutory lawLegislature-made legal rules
back room deal · sentencing guidelines · sentence reduction · time served · constitutional rights · case law · judge · court approval · systemic bias · judicial oversight · criminal statutes · victim impact · probation officer · criminal record · informed consent · forensic expert · court clerk
plea negotiationsjury trial
Legal proceeding with citizen panel
trial by jury · criminal trial · bench trial · trial proceedings · litigation
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