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Tennessee Criminal Defense Cases: Why So Many End In A Plea

By Baker Associates

Most Tennessee criminal cases end in a plea agreement for any of the following four reasons: Leniency. In exchange for the benefits of a plea agreement, a prosecutor is often willing to agree to a reduced charge for the defendant. This is probably the single most important reason that so many cases end in a plea agreement. Defendants are willing to plead guilty or no contest to an offense in order to receive a less severe punishment. Time. The negotiating process for a plea agreement usually requires much less time than a trial. In an overloaded criminal justice system, a defendant may often have to wait weeks or months before their case is tried. Once in court, the trial itself may take weeks. Plea agreements can often be accomplished in minutes, though usually the process takes a little longer...continue to full post

Full post as published by Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog on March 05, 2009 (boomark / email).