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Plea Bargains and Plea Agreements.
by Kansas Attorney, Vincent Rivera
A vast majority of cases end up pleading out.
When I receive a plea offer, I always ask two questions:
1. What are we getting?
- Are they dismissing charges? Are they agreeing to a below-guideline sentence?
The second question is:
2. Can we do better on our own?
This is a far more difficult question, because that question involves:
What is the likelihood of your legal defenses winning and/or the likelihood of your factual defense winning at trial?
I'll let you in on a little secret: most attorneys will get the exact same plea offer at the beginning of the case, whether you have a court-appointed public defender, or whether you've dropped thousands of dollars on an attorney. You need a trial attorney when negotiations break down.
Page Contents
Why Do You Need A Trial Lawyer?
- What Is A Plea Bargain?
- What Are The Different Types Of Pleas?
- What Are The Different Types Of Bargaining?
- Why Are Plea Bargains Used in So Many Cases?
- Why Are Sentences Usually Reduced For A Guilty Plea?
- Are Plea Bargains Available In All Cases?
- Is There A Time Limit On Making A Plea Bargain?
- Do Constitutional Rights Apply To Plea Bargains?
- Does The Judge Have To Accept A Plea Bargain?
- Is A Lawyer Needed To Plead Guilty Or No Contest?
- Who Decides Whether To Accept A Plea Bargain?
- Can A Defendant Plead Guilty If They Aren't?
- Can I Withdraw My Guilty Plea?
Why do you need a trial attorney?
Why do you need an experienced litigator if you're just going to plea the case out?
A trial attorney is capable of taking something past the initial round of plea negotiations, file motions, and ultimately try the case.
That's why you need an experienced litigator - because when plea negotiations break down, we have to fall back to fighting the case.
We have to fall back to filing motions to suppress. We have to fall back to filing motions to dismiss.
We ultimately have to start teeing up for trial, and even down the line, we're trying to set it up for appeal.
The idea is that even if you do want to plea out, sometimes the prosecutor wont give us an acceptable offer, but a trial attorney is able to push the matter and get plea offer that’s acceptable.
Plea Bargaining FAQ's
What exactly is a plea bargain?
A plea bargain is when the defendant agrees to enter a plea other than not guilty to one or more of the charges against him or her or to a lesser charge. In return, the defendant receives some benefit such as a less sever charge, probation, shorter prison sentence, or other consideration. A plea bargain is negotiated between the defense attorney and prosecutor and then formalized at a court hearing. A plea bargain ends the case, and there is no trial or further court appearances other than a possible separate sentencing hearing.
What are the different types of pleas?
Not Guilty Plea
The defendant denies they charges, and wishes to contest them. Generally, all defendants enter a plea of not guilty initially.
Guilty Plea
indicates that the defendant accepts the charges against him. The defendant can plead guilty to all of the charges, some of the charges, or to a lesser charge if one is offered. A guilty plea results in a conviction of that charge with the same effect as being found guilty by a jury. If a defendant pleads guilty to only some of the charges without a plea deal in place, the case will continue for the other charges.
No Contest Plea
is effectively the same as a guilty plea in criminal court. However, in a civil lawsuit, it cannot be used as evidence of an admission of guilt because it literally means the defendant did not contest the charges, and not that they admitted to them.
What are different types of Bargaining?
Charge Bargaining
The negotiation of specific criminal charges where the defendant will plead "guilty" to a lesser charge than the original or most serious charge. In exchange for a guilty plea
the prosecutor will dismiss the more serious charges.
Count Bargaining
Defendants who face multiple charges may be allowed to plead guilty to fewer counts. The charges need not be identical: the prosecutor may drop any charge or charges in exchange for a guilty plea on the remaining charges.
Sentence Bargaining
The Prosecutor may provide alternative sentences in exchange for the defendant pleading "guilty". In a common example defendants will often plead guilty to Murder out of fear of receiving the death penalty.
Fact Bargaining
Prosecutors and the defendants will bargain over which version of events will be presented to the court. The Prosecutor will not challenge the events when presented in court.
Open to argue
Here, the defense and prosecutor have agreed on which charges will be plead to, but have not agreed on disposition. Often, in this scenario, the parties will be arguing over prison vs probation, or the length of a prison sentence.
Why are plea bargains used in so many cases?
Why are sentences usually reduced for a guilty plea?
Part of the reason for reduced sentences is to encourage defendants to take a guilty plea. In addition, a defendant who pleads guilty is seen as taking responsibility for their actions and showing remorse, and the justice system believes that they should be punished less harshly than someone who refuses to admit guilt and forces the state to take on the time and expense of a trial.
In Federal court, defendants receive an explicit benefit for pleading guilty and “accepting responsibility.” Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines 3E1.1, a defendant who accepts responsibility will receive up to a 3-point reduction in their sentence. Also, pleading out early in Federal court can result in an additional 3 point reduction under the Fast Track program. Thus, in Federal court, a defendant can receive significant reductions in their sentence by accepting responsibility and plead early.
Are plea bargains available in all cases?
Plea bargains are legally available in all cases. However, many prosecutors' offices have policies against offering plea bargains for certain types serious of crimes or under other special circumstances such as a repeat offender. Similarly, many offices have standard offers for less serious crimes. There is also no guarantee that the offer made will actually be more desirable than taking a chance at trial.
For a variety of reasons, DUI’s are one charge where the prosecutor will not dismiss. Thus, any plea in a DUI case usually involves dropping other counts, and a sentence agreement.
Is there a time limit on making a plea bargain?
A plea bargain can be made at any time from arraignment until the jury reaches a verdict. As a practical matter, most prosecutors set an earlier deadline on plea deals or make the offer less favorable as the trial date approaches and they have to spend more time on the case.
Do constitutional rights apply to plea bargains?
Does the judge have to accept a plea bargain?
In Kansas and Missouri state courts pleas are “non-binding.” Meaning: a Judge does not have to follow a plea. Typically, a Judge will follow a plea, but they do not have to. Theoretically, the Judge can break the plea for or against a defendant. Since a Judge can only pronounce a sentence within the rules of the law, a well-crafted plea can be done in a way that “ties the Judge’s hands” and does not leave them any room to break the plea.
In many of cases, sentencing happens weeks or months after the plea is taken. This means, you will not know whether the Judge is going to follow a plea until sentencing.
In Federal court there are two kinds of pleas: “binding,” and “non-binding.” In a binding plea, under Rule 11(c)(1)(C), the Judge announces whether they will follow the plea before imposing a sentence. If they announce that they will not follow the plea the defendant is allowed to withdraw their plea.
Is a lawyer needed to plead guilty or no contest?
Who decides whether to accept a plea bargain?
Can a defendant plead guilty if they aren't?
Yes, in an “Alford” plea, a defendant can enter a plea of guilty while maintaining their innocence. This requires they intelligently conclude it’s in their best interest and wish to receive the benefit of the bargain.