Facing criminal charges requires a defendant to carefully consider all their options for a defense strategy. One of these may be a plea deal, which is how many criminal cases are resolved.
A plea deal is an agreement between you and the prosecution. It requires that you either plead guilty or no contest to specific charges. Those charges may be the original ones in the case, or they may be different, depending on the terms of the agreement. These deals can also set specific sentencing terms to suggest to the court.
Are all plea deals accepted?
One important thing to remember if you’re considering a plea deal is that the terms are merely suggestions for the court. The judge will have the option to accept or decline the terms. If the terms are accepted, they will be set as they are written. If the terms are declined, the plea agreement can’t be used against you to prove that you were guilty.
Another important point to remember is that you typically can’t appeal a plea agreement. You have a chance to review the deal and discuss it with your attorney before you agree to it.
Many defendants opt to use a plea deal to resolve their criminal case since it gives them some measure of control over the outcome and may be a faster resolution than going through a trial. If you’re considering this as an option, it’s critical that you talk to your attorney to determine how the plea deal may impact you now and for the rest of your life.