This topic is definitely one that I had a hard time siding with either or. Overall, I would say that plea bargaining is an effective alternative process within our justice system. With that being said, I believe that there should be restrictions on when plea bargaining can and cannot be used as well as how plea bargains are presented and pushed onto defendants. I do not think it is right that prosecutors can threaten a higher sentence just to get something out of the defendant. On the other hand, I believe that without the plea bargains our courts would be even more overwhelmed and backlogged than they already are. Plea bargains allow us to push guilty cases through the system faster which helps save overworked, understaffed departments as well as financial savings. With restrictions as to what kind of cases can allow plea bargaining and allowing defendants to be more educated about what their options really area would be a benefit to this process as well. In the end, I believe that the positive results of plea bargains outweigh the negative.
In your response to your peers, consider how well they justified their position, making use of available resources. Consider the following questions in your response posts:
- Did they support their position convincingly using appropriate resources?
- Which of their points make the most sense to you, even if you made a case for the opposing viewpoint?
Hemmens, C., Brody, D. C., & Spohn, C. (2019). Criminal Courts: A Contemporary Perspective (4th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US).
