How does this work in court? Pleading guilty to a case guarantees a sentence. Whereas not guilty allows you a chance to defend yourself. Doesn’t seem like most defendants would plead guilty. Why is this even a thing?
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If you think you have little to no chance of winning the trial, you can make a deal to get a reduced sentence in exchange for pleading guilty.
most guilty pleas are the result of negotiations with the prosecutor for a specific lesser sentence than a guilty defendant would receive at trial.
Because going to trial can result in harsher sentences.
Let’s say you comitted a robbery, they have you dead to rights. Video evidence and everything.
Do you go to trial and risk 25+ years, or do you plead guilty and take 10?
Pleading guilty often comes with a reduced sentence compared to what you would get if found guilty at trial. Most cases end in a plea deal. Very few go to trial.
If the court has alot of evidence & you know you won’t get off, enter a Guilty plea & they may show leniency.
If there is little evidence plead not guilty and take your chances on your lawyer fighting your corner.
Depends massively on the crime also of course.
Usually when faced with a trial the prosecution will offer you the chance to plead guilty to a lesser charge for a lesser sentence/penalty in order to not have to spend the time/money/effort of arguing a full trial. Depending on the charge, the defendant might find this more advantageous than risking a much bigger penalty by going to trial and having to rely on 12 strangers to decide your fate.
It’s also very common for minor things, like speeding tickets and traffic offenses. You can often plea bargain these to lower speeds or offenses so you may wind up paying a higher fine, but you won’t get points on your license that would cause your insurance rate to increase
In Australia, lodging a guilty plea early can potentially reduce the severity of your sentence.
Courts don’t like people who are clearly guilty but refuse to say so, so if you say you’re guilty they may give you a break and reduce the sentence you would otherwise receive if you made them go through the effort of showing that you are guilty
* The DA will usually offer a reduced charge or sentence in exchange for a guilty plea. Knowing you will get a 7 years sentence rather than roll the dice on a 5-15 year sentence is a win.
* Even without an offer, pleading guilty creates goodwill that prosecutors and judges often recognize. Conversely, they get annoyed at having to prosecute clearly guilty people, especially when they reject reasonable plea bargains.
* A trial means there will almost certainly be an additional investigation that could uncover additional crimes, including those committed by your friends and family.
* A trial makes all the potentially embarrassing details of your crime a matter of public records. If you take a plea, you can tell people whatever story you want, especially if you plead no contest.
* Lawyers are expensive, and you might be stuck in jail during the trial. Pleading guilty on a charge you almost certainly will be convicted of saves money and starts the clock on your sentence sooner.
Along with the reasons the other people stated, you might simply genuinely be remorseful about the crime and want to own up and accept the punishment.
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