Lots of people have heard of plea bargains, either from the news, crime shows, or friends’ cases, but many of us have only a vague notion of what they are. No worries! We at the Chambers Law Firm are on a mission to help people like you understand the criminal justice system more, and plea bargains are an important aspect of it.
What is a plea bargain?
A plea bargain is an agreement made between the prosecution (the entity that charged the defendant with a crime) and the defense (the defendant and their attorney). The prosecution may offer a plea bargain to the defense, but it doesn’t happen in every case. If a plea bargain is accepted, the defendant agrees to plead guilty to a lesser charge, and in exchange, the prosecutor drops the more serious charge. If a defendant is facing convincing evidence against him or her, accepting a plea bargain may be the in their best interest.
What are common DUI plea bargains?
While there’s no way to know whether a plea bargain will be offered in any specific case, and if so, what the terms will be, there are some DUI plea bargains that are frequently offered here in Southern California. For example:
- The defendant pleads guilty to the offense of reckless driving, not DUI.
- The defendant pleads guilty to a misdemeanor DUI charge instead of a felony one.
- The defendant pleads guilty to the original DUI charge but is able to avoid jail time, stiff fines, or other penalties.
- The defendant pleads guilty to a traffic infraction instead of DUI. This plea bargain is one of the most favorable ones because it allows the defendant to avoid having criminal charges on their permanent record.
- Many other plea bargain possibilities may occur as well.
What can you expect?
The only way to truly know what the possible plea bargains that may be offered by the prosecution in your case is to come speak with DUI defense attorney Dan Chambers of the Chambers Law Firm. He’s been defending clients against harsh DUI sentences for decades, so he’ll know exactly what to do to achieve the ideal outcome in your case. If a plea bargain is offered in your case, he’ll provide expert legal advice to make sure that you feel confident in your decision to accept or reject it. He’ll draw on his many years of experience in DUI defense to offer you specialized legal assistance throughout your case.
