Understanding Plea Bargains: Pros, Cons, and How They Work
- June 3, 2023
- Lawyer Michael Panella
- Criminal Defense
Plea bargaining is widely accepted and used in the criminal justice system in Florida and throughout the U.S. It is seen as beneficial to defendants and the state for various reasons. However, defendants facing charges must be aware that entering a plea bargain without a plea bargain attorney in Florida can potentially land them in worse legal problems.
What Exactly Is a Plea Bargain?
A plea bargain is an agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant. It typically requires that the defendant plead guilty to lesser charges in exchange for having the original charges dropped or dismissed. The charge the defendant pleads guilty to in a plea deal is usually somehow related to the original charge.
For example, if an individual is arrested for drug trafficking, their lawyer for plea bargain case may eventually be able to plead the drug trafficking charge down to a possession charge. But the prosecutor must agree to the plea. If they don’t, it is the job