What is a plea bargain, and how does it apply to your case?
If you’re reading up on plea bargains, chances are, either your or a loved one has been arrested, and the prosecutor from the local District Attorney’s office is pressuring you to accept a deal. Simply put, a plea bargain is when the DA’s office offers to reduce the charges against you if you plead guilty and forgo a trial.
For example, say you’re charged with murder. The District Attorney might offer to reduce the charges to involuntary manslaughter in exchange for your guilty plea. Or they might offer to reduce the charges if you agree to testify against someone else involved in the crime. They might also offer to drop some of the lesser charges if you plead guilty to the main charge. Deciding whether to take a plea bargain is not a decision you should make on your own. Before you consider any plea bargain, make sure you have a good Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer to represent you.
And if you have the money, hire a private attorney. We have the time to devote to your case. If you’re low income, you may be offered a public defender. They are notoriously overworked and may only meet with you minutes before a court hearing. In California, four out of five felony defendants are represented by a public defender. And only 2% of felony cases make it to trial.
It’s in the best interests of the DA’s office to get you to agree to a plea bargain, because it means a quick and easy closure to a case. But a plea bargain may not be in your best interests – especially if you didn’t commit a crime!
The criminal defense lawyers at the Simmrin Law Group are on your side. The police and the DA are not. Don’t play “Let’s Make a Deal” without an experienced criminal defense lawyer sitting next to you Once we’ve spoken to you and evaluated your case, we can discuss whether taking a plea bargain would be in your best interests.
The Pros and Cons Of A Plea Bargain
A plea bargain, or plea bargaining, is one of the first steps in a criminal case, after you or a loved one has been arrested. Many criminal cases never make it to trial, and are resolved in the early stages when both sides agree to a plea deal. Either your defense attorney or the prosecutor can begin the negotiations.
Plea bargaining is very common, for several reasons:
- You as a defendant can avoid the time and money involved with defending yourself at trial.
- You can avoid a potentially harsher punishment if you are found guilty.
- You save yourself, your family, and your business from a lot of negative publicity.
- The prosecution saves the time and money involved in a trial.
- Both you and the prosecution don’t have the uncertainty that comes with a jury trial.
Many times, a good criminal defense lawyer can help you negotiate a plea bargain with greatly reduced charges and penalties. But just because you, your lawyer, and the DA’s office have reached a plea bargain, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a done deal. Many plea bargains have to be approved by a judge.
But Wait! What If I Didn’t Commit The Crime I’m Accused Of?
If you truly didn’t commit the crime you’re accused of, or any crime at all, obviously, it doesn’t make sense to accept a plea deal and plead guilty to a crime you didn’t commit. Yet, every year, many defendants take a plea deal because they don’t have a good criminal defense lawyer who can take their case to trial.
Here at Simrin Law Group, our criminal defense lawyers defend all sorts of cases, from murder to traffic violations to Medi-Cal fraud. We have the expertise to investigate your case, obtain copies of the police files, find witnesses, hire experts to testify in court, and more. We know the DA’s office strategies and their limitations – we can beat them at their own game.
We have established ourselves as one of the top criminal defense firms in Los Angeles, with a history of wins in court. We’ll work to get the charges against you dismissed, or if the case goes to trial, we’ll present a solid case to the jury, and fight tirelessly on your behalf. We can’t promise you’ll win your case, but we can promise we’ll work for the best possible outcome of your case.
If you’ve been arrested, you need an experienced criminal defense lawyer on your side. Call the Simrin Law Group in Los Angeles at 310-997-4688 or use our contact form for a free case evaluation. We’re available to help you 24/7. Don’t talk to the police until you’ve talked with us.