Many people accused of breaking the law assert their innocence. They may insist that police officers identified the wrong person or that there has been a major misunderstanding. When people claim that they did not break the law, it may seem natural for them to fight the charges that they face.
However, statistics from the criminal courts paint a different picture. The vast majority of defendants, including those who assert their innocence, plead guilty or negotiate plea bargains with prosecutors. Plea bargaining, in particular, can motivate those who assert that they did not break the law to comply with the state by entering a guilty plea.
Why do so many criminal defendants cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for entering a guilty plea?
Plea bargaining can limit a defendant’s risks
During a criminal trial, there’s no guarantee of success. Defendants may be at risk of convictions for multiple offenses. In some cases, the courts may hand down the maximum sentence possible. The risk of facing a conviction and the maximum penalties may outweigh the perceived benefits of mounting a criminal defense strategy at trial.
When defense attorneys help their clients negotiate plea bargains, they ask the state prosecutor to compromise. For example, a defense attorney may negotiate with a prosecutor to convince them to drop secondary charges, resulting in a conviction for one offense instead of multiple offenses.
In some cases, prosecutors may agree to reduce the charge to a less serious offense. Other times, they might agree to take certain penalties off the table in exchange for a guilty plea. Prosecutors might even limit the information submitted to the courts and therefore what details about the incident actually become public record.
Those hoping to minimize penalties, avoid felony convictions or preserve their reputations may find that plea bargaining is a better solution than taking their case to trial. Reviewing the charges that the state intends to pursue and the evidence supporting those charges with a skilled legal team can help defendants work with their lawyers to choose the best response. For some criminal defendants, plea bargains can be an efficient and effective means of minimizing the long-term fallout of criminal charges.