What is the standard argument in favor of plea bargains?
Pleading guilty instead of going to trial reduces uncertainty as to the outcome of a trial; in trying a case before a judge or before a jury of 12 people, the defendant cannot predict what ultimately will happen. Plea bargains are also perceived as offering the accused a freedom of choice. And, from the state’s point of view, the main benefit of the plea bargain is that it saves time and money. Almost everyone acknowledges that the system would collapse if every case that was filed were to be set for trial; there is not enough money to try every case. Experts point out some other benefits of pleas. Law professor Bruce Green tells FRONTLINE, “It… is in some ways fairer to witnesses and prospective jurors. Imagine if in all these cases, the victims and witnesses had to come to court to testify. And in all these cases, people had to leave their jobs in order to serve on juries. That would be very onerous for the public.” Other experts note that pleas can get the accused out from under som
