People who are facing criminal charges often worry about what the outcome of the case will be. Going through a trial and having to wait to hear if they’re found guilty can be traumatic. Then, they have to wait for the sentencing hearing.
For some people, a plea deal is a way that they can have their criminal case resolved without having to go through the trial process. It’s critical that these individuals carefully consider the terms of the plea deal. One of these is that they’ll have to plead either guilty or no contest to specific criminal charges. This means that it’s not appropriate for a person who’s innocent to accept a plea deal.
Terms of the plea deal
Plea deals are worked out between the prosecution and the defense. There are a few different points that can be negotiated in these. For some people, the sentence they’ll face is set in a plea deal. For others, the negotiations may focus on reducing charges to something that won’t have such a severe impact on the individual’s future.
Once the terms of the plea deal are agreed upon, the deal has to be presented to the court. It’s up to the judge to determine whether to accept it or not. As part of this process, they’ll ensure the defendant understands what the deal means and whether the sentence meets the necessary requirements or not.
Once a person accepts a plea deal to resolve their case, they can’t appeal the sentence. Because of this, they must ensure that they’re ready to deal with the terms. It may behoove them to work with someone familiar with these matters.