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Plea bargains

mamablue
mamablue
Do you think prosecutors prefer a case to go to trail or a plea bargain? I can see arguments either way. It must be better for their careers to go to trial and have a guilty verdict. And then they can get a tough sentence. But if they are overloaded with cases, they may prefer to plea to get some of the cases out of the way.

Just curious. What do you think?
lusks1
lusks1
Good question.

We had both. Sam attorney, same victims, 2 counties.

Abuser swore his innocence and fought in the first trial. He lost and is in prison for 50 years. He is appealing of course.

The 2nd trial he entered a plea of guilty for a lesser sentence. 10 years. Doesn't make sense to me. He's already in prison for the rest of his life. We accepted the plea. It was up to us, not our attorney. We were so distraught from the first trial, we didn't want to have to do it again. And with our other 2 children (the first trial only 1 child had to testify, the 2nd trial all 3 were to testify).

The attorney has to fight for that plea too. That have to make the accused feel like he has no chance in court. They still have to pour over the evidence. Find witnesses, They still have to do depositions.
cathymathy
cathymathy
Taking a plea deal was not the best choice for us. We knew nothing about this whole process. So when it was suggested it meant my girls did not have to go in front of anyone and relive their story. We felt it was the best for them, they were adult women but iit is just so raw. With that said the perp got 9 months only because he is so old and California doesnt seem to have the harshest laws or at least in our case. So we were upset and sued in a civil case. The whole ordeal is draining but in the end satisfaction and resolve came our way. So just keep in mind and be aware of what you will have to go through if you do not take the plea. Again the truth will set us free has always been my guide when deciding what ot do and how to feel. Good luck!
southrngrl82
southrngrl82
Sometimes I hate that we did a plea bargain, but I also didnt want to put my unprepared (the ADA never actually spoke to or met her) 7-year-old on the stand. I think it depends on the case. I think alot of cases end in a plea bargain. The only people that are really getting screwed are the victims and their families.
Bandmom5
Bandmom5
In our case, the courts are so backed up that they pushed for a plea bargain. Also, the case was delayed many times by the defense counsel's tactics, and my sons had to return to college or lose their very substantial scholarships. Their main goal was that the offender lose his teaching license and get a Megan's law sex offender label, which did happen along with a 3 yr suspended sentence and supervised contact with anyone under 16. Unfortunately, the psycho-sexual evaluation deemed him unlikely to re-offend, so he's a level or tier one offender and not on an online registry, just in a police database.