Anyone charged with a crime deserves the best possible outcome. This does not mean the best possible result for your attorney, but it does mean the best possible result for you, the defendant. Do not let your attorney talk you into a plea deal unless and until the attorney has exhausted all other avenues to obtain the best possible outcome for you.
After, and only after, a thorough review of the evidence and interviews with all witnesses, a good attorney can determine the best course of action. Negotiations for a plea deal should NEVER be the first option. However, a plea deal is sometimes the best option and should NEVER be completely ignored in lieu of a trial or guilty plea.
When someone is facing criminal proceedings with the possibility of going to jail, they are under a great deal of stress. The stakes are high beyond the loss of freedom, including significant financial loss, loss of reputation, and future employment difficulties, among other likely consequences. Entering into a plea deal means that you, as the defendant, are willing to accept a guilty plea that will have a negative effect on your record.
When the evidence in the case is strongly against the defendant and witnesses are likely to appear and testify at trial, it is sometimes in the defendant’s interest to accept a plea deal since the penalties are almost always less than what the defendant would likely impose. judge. at sentencing after being found guilty by a jury.
Occasionally, even a defendant completely innocent of the charges may benefit from a plea deal because the consequences appear more favorable. The defendant reasons that it is better to accept probation rather than risk losing at trial, which will result in a jail sentence.
Of course, it is rare for an innocent person to plead guilty so as not to face possible jail time for losing at trial, but it does happen.
In short, the benefit to a defendant of entering into a plea agreement is to reduce their sentence for the alleged crime. Parole is common for first offenders in a plea deal, while the same defendant in the same case would be sentenced to prison if he goes to trial and loses.
Finally, it cannot be stressed enough that plea bargain negotiations should not be the first option. The attorney should at least examine the evidence and talk to witnesses, including the arresting police officers. This will allow the attorney to clearly see possible defenses, weaknesses in both your case and the government’s case. Then, and only then, will he be better able to decide his course of action: trial or plea negotiations.
