Plea Bargaining

I just learned that many people I know do not understand what actually happens in a plea bargain…so here is my short non-legal explanation.

There is an accusation.  On a scale of 1-10 (1 being mild – 10 very severe) it is given a 9 and the penalties are severe.  If the person goes to trial the odds are he/she will wind up having to pay all those penalties – including perhaps prison time.

On the other hand, the prosecution can’t guarantee that they will win at trial.

So the parties make a deal.  The person accused pleads guilty to a lesser crime – maybe a 6 or 7 instead of a 9 – and a trial is avoided by both parties.

Plea bargain never means pleading to something bigger than you have been accused of having done.

So, to those of you who are saying your friend’s loss of his license (even if temporarily) is “no big deal” – you’ve missed the point.  He pled DOWN to that – not up.