Denton Criminal Lawyer

Plea Bargaining

If you are involved in a criminal case then you may be interested in a legal bargaining tool known as plea bargaining. Plea bargaining is designed to help criminals, the police, as well as the congestion of the legal court system. Plea bargains are deals made with defendants for them to plead guilty in exchange for important information that police need for another investigation. There are two different types of plea bargains, charge bargain and sentence bargain.

Charge Bargain

A charge bargain is where the prosecutor offers the defendant a chance to lessen the sentence by pleading guilty to some or all of the charges. In a charge bargain, the defendant has not yet been sentenced, and so does not know exactly what they are being given.

Sentence Bargain

In a sentence bargain, the defendant already knows the sentence, and can agree to plead guilty for a lesser sentence. This is usually in more serious crimes, in which the defendant may be afraid of getting the maximum sentence for their crime. Sentence bargains are not looked highly upon, and must be approved by the judge in charge of the case.

In many cases, it may be better to try and strike a plea bargain before actually going to trial, as it gives the defendant a little more leverage in bargaining.

Speak with Denton Criminal Attorneys

Murder is never taken lightly. If you have been accused of murder, you will need a strong defense team. Contact the Denton criminal lawyer of Alexander & Associated by calling 972-420-6560.