plea bargaining
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: - (Legal Process): A pretrial negotiation in a criminal case where the defendant agrees to plead guilty to a lesser charge or to one of multiple charges in exchange for a concession from the prosecutor, such as a more lenient sentence or the dismissal of more serious charges. This process is used to resolve a case without a full trial.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The defendant's lawyer engaged in plea bargaining to avoid the risk of a lengthy prison sentence.
- The system of plea bargaining is common in many judicial systems to reduce court backlogs.
- Critics argue that plea bargaining can sometimes pressure innocent people to plead guilty.
Advanced Usage
- "To engage in plea bargaining": To participate in the negotiation process.
- The defense attorney advised his client to engage in plea bargaining.
- "As a result of plea bargaining": Indicating an outcome from the negotiation.
- He received a reduced sentence as a result of plea bargaining.
Variants and Related Words
- Plea bargain (n): The specific agreement reached through the plea bargaining process.
- They reached a plea bargain that satisfied both sides.
- Plea-bargain (v): To negotiate or arrange a plea bargain.
- The prosecutor decided to plea-bargain with the defendant.
Synonyms
- Negotiated plea: A guilty plea arrived at through negotiation.
- Case settlement (in a criminal context): The resolution of a criminal case without trial.
Related Phrases
- To strike a deal: (Informal) To reach an agreement, often used in the context of plea bargaining.
- The two sides struck a deal to avoid a trial.
- To cop a plea: (Slang) To plead guilty to a lesser charge.
- Facing strong evidence, he decided to cop a plea.
Noun
- (criminal law) a negotiation in which the defendant agrees to enter a plea of guilty to a lesser charge and the prosecutor agrees to drop a more serious charge
- his admission was part of a plea bargain with the prosecutor
- plea bargaining helps to stop the courts becoming congested