plea bargaining
6
4.5
- noun
- /pliː ˈbɑːrɡənɪŋ/
- Specialized
:
negociación de culpabilidad
- Nothing better illustrates the power of the prosecutor in the plea bargaining process in the case of Paul Hayes case that made its way to the Supreme Court.
And where so much power is exercised is in the plea bargaining process.
- And where so much power is exercised is in the plea bargaining process.
Examples
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Underscoring this concern is the overwhelming importance of plea bargaining in our criminal justice system.
Academic text (2017) -
The rise of plea bargaining has only enhanced the importance of the bail hearing.
Academic text (2017) -
You guys set up the plea bargaining system.
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There was a distinct difference in who accepts a plea bargain.
Academic text (1997) -
Finally, plea bargaining is often identified as a major cause of light sentences.
Academic text (1997) -
Through a plea bargaining agreement, more serious charges of assault and making terroristic threats were dropped.
Fiction book (1995) -
Central Justice is expected to gain even more influence over plea bargaining and curb possible departures through policies issued last fall.
Academic text (2005) -
Plea bargaining is "not some adjunct to the criminal justice system; it is the criminal justice system." 212
Academic text (2017) -
Plea bargaining poses a dilemma because it is always, in some sense, coercive.
Academic text (2017) -
Many defendants choose plea bargaining to avoid the risk of a longer prison sentence.
Synonyms
64
4.2
An agreement where a person accused of a crime admits guilt to a smaller charge to get a lighter sentence
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: a learner who knows 'plea' (a defendant's formal statement) and 'bargaining' (negotiating) will understand this as negotiating about a plea. While specific legal details (pleading to a lesser charge, concessions) are technical, the core meaning is transparently derived from the constituents.
Etymology
Plea bargaining comes from a simple image: a plea is when the person on trial says they are 'guilty' to a smaller charge and bargaining is like making a 'deal' at a market. So it means 'a deal' where the person accused admits a lesser crime and the prosecutor agrees to drop or reduce other charges.