Plea Bargain (Noun)
Meaning
(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".
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The defendant agreed to a plea bargain with the prosecutor to avoid serving time in prison.
- She accepted a plea bargain that reduced the charges from felony to misdemeanor.
- The judge approved the plea bargain, allowing the defendant to plead guilty to a lesser crime.
- His lawyer negotiated a plea bargain with the prosecution to get the charges lowered.
- The use of plea bargaining has been shown to decrease court congestion and speed up trials.