Oral Presentations - Session 2B: UC 327
Plea Bargaining: Are Lawyers helping you, or themselves?
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Christopher Muste
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Political Science
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Within the Bill of Rights is the sixth Amendment, which gives a person the right to a speedy trial by jury. It is considered one of the fundamental rights that citizens of this country are assured. Today there are many trials that are covered on television that people intensively follow. Because of this, it is somewhat surprising to learn that about ninety-percent of all criminal cases each year never even make it to trial, instead, those cases are plead down with the help of plea bargaining. Why would someone want to forgo one of the most basic rights of this country, and instead submit themselves to punishment without a fight? However, with steep legal fees and the amount of time a trial takes, a quick bargain with the prosecution may not seem too terrible to some people. But there are many who believe this process is diminishing the public’s trust in the legal system and the legitimacy of the courts in the United States. Some people believe that the judicial process in this country has become too bureaucratic - depersonalizing the judiciary and the court system. Throughout this presentation the process of plea bargaining, its pros and cons, and the arguments in favor of and against plea bargaining will be analyzed based upon research gathered from numerous law reviews, journals, and an in-depth interview with a former deputy district attorney.
Plea Bargaining: Are Lawyers helping you, or themselves?
UC 327
Within the Bill of Rights is the sixth Amendment, which gives a person the right to a speedy trial by jury. It is considered one of the fundamental rights that citizens of this country are assured. Today there are many trials that are covered on television that people intensively follow. Because of this, it is somewhat surprising to learn that about ninety-percent of all criminal cases each year never even make it to trial, instead, those cases are plead down with the help of plea bargaining. Why would someone want to forgo one of the most basic rights of this country, and instead submit themselves to punishment without a fight? However, with steep legal fees and the amount of time a trial takes, a quick bargain with the prosecution may not seem too terrible to some people. But there are many who believe this process is diminishing the public’s trust in the legal system and the legitimacy of the courts in the United States. Some people believe that the judicial process in this country has become too bureaucratic - depersonalizing the judiciary and the court system. Throughout this presentation the process of plea bargaining, its pros and cons, and the arguments in favor of and against plea bargaining will be analyzed based upon research gathered from numerous law reviews, journals, and an in-depth interview with a former deputy district attorney.