Plea Bargaining In The Criminal Justice System

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Plea bargaining is a process within the criminal justice system and it takes place between the two parties involved in a criminal case that is the prosecutor and the defendant .The defendant is asked to enter into a guilty plea by the prosecutor in exchange for a lighter sentence and in some cases the prosecutor might even consider reduction of the charges as an incentive for the defendant to enter into a guilty plea (McConnell, Michael & Chester, 1999). According to McConnell, Michael and Chester (1999), plea bargaining has proved to be beneficial to the criminal justice system and for this reason I believe attorneys should be allowed to use this tool in settling their cases. Some of the benefits that have resulted in plea bargaining as a means of settling cases are discussed as under:…show more content…
The prosecutors work load is also reduced as a result of a plea bargain and thus they are accorded a chance to concentrate on other cases that can not be settled through plea bargaining. Besides the prosecutor, the judge also reaps the benefit of plea bargaining. This is because plea bargaining ensures speedy conclusion of cases that would have otherwise taken long to conclude hence ensuring movement of the system as a whole. Finally, it helps in reducing congestion in jails and prisons as a result of some of the defendants receiving suspended sentences from their plea bargains (McConnell, Michael & Chester,
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