Denton Criminal Attorneys

Plea Bargains

Plea bargains are tools used frequently by prosecutors in an effort to save time during a jury trial. They are frequently used to eliminate the need for a trial and in effect save time for the court. A plea bargain is a deal offered by the prosecution to the defendant as an incentive for the defendant to plead guilty.

There are two general types of plea bargains that are used today. The first type, a charge bargain, is employed by a prosecutor to get a defendant to plead to a specific charge. In exchange for the plea bargain, the defendant is allowed to plea to a lesser charge or possibly only some of the charges filed against him or her. For example, an individual charged with driving while intoxicated and driving with suspended license may be given the opportunity to plead out to just the drunk driving charge. The advantage of this is that a lesser charge may carry a lesser penalty with it.

The second type of plea bargain is a sentence bargain. This type of plea bargain informs the defendant in advance as to what his or her sentence will be if he or she takes the plea bargain. In some cases, this is beneficial to the prosecutor who wants to obtain a conviction. In many cases, a defendant wants to avoid a trial because he or she doesn’t want to be hit with the maximum penalty on a crime. Sentence bargains are typically only granted if they are approved by the judge. In many jurisdictions, there are very strict limits on sentence bargaining.

High profile cases are much more likely to have sentence bargains involved. In these cases, the prosecutor probably does not want to reduce the charges that were brought against the defendant but doesn’t want to lose either. There is typically some fear in the prosecutor of lessening the charges because of how the newspapers and public will react. Sentence bargains allow a prosecutor to obtain a conviction on the most serious of the charges while also assuring the defendant that he or she will not face the maximum sentence.

Contact a Denton Criminal Lawyer

If you have been accused of a crime and are in need of an experienced defense lawyer, contact the Denton criminal lawyers of Alexander & Associates at 972-420-6560.