Ever gone to court and agreed to a plea deal? The judge asks if you understand that you are giving up your right to a trial and if you made this decision voluntarily. You agree, but was it voluntary?
As recently seen, in October 2019, during the Lawrence County case where six police officers filed a lawsuit claiming that a meeting between the chief and municipal department heads spurred orders “emphasiz(ing) the need for the officers to issue more tickets because ‘revenue was down,’” police will overcharge to generate revenue.
You probably are aware while bargaining with the prosecutor that, on average, those who agree to plea deals have shorter sentencing or reduced fines. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers has found that in the U.S., 97% of federal convictions are obtained through plea bargains, with state convictions averaging at about 94%.
Doesn’t feel as though you had a choice, does it? One of my biggest regrets is agreeing to a plea deal and giving up my right to a trial for a ticket that I was not guilty of.
Organizations like the Innocence Project and members of the Libertarian Party are a huge voice in this conversation, but why aren’t we all having a conversation about plea deals?
Court House – 10% to 27% of non citizens are illegally registered to vote and it is projected that 5% to 13% of them will illegally vote in Nov – it is not legal for non-citizens to vote in elections – do you hear…
