As a criminal defendant, you always have to choose between two courses of action: whether to plead guilty or go through a trial. When you plead guilty, you admit that you’ve committed the underlying offense, and the judge decides your penalty accordingly. On the other hand, when you go through the trial, you fight your case with the hope of getting off the hook.
Here’s what the two options mean for you:
Pleading Guilty
When you plead guilty, it means you’re confronting the case face-on. This means that the case would come to an end far quicker than it would if you went through a criminal trial. Another benefit is that of low legal costs. Your attorney will charge you far less if they don’t have to go through a trial. If they feel like you might be found guilty by the jury, they would add thousands of extra dollars to the bill.
When you plead guilty, you’re represented by legal counsel who helps you go through the process of plea bargaining. At the end of the process, the attorney and the prosecutor reach an agreement regarding the defendant’s sentence. Since you’re pleading guilty, you might receive a lighter sentence than you would otherwise.
There is also a lot of uncertainty when one goes through a trial. The final verdict lies with the jury and is highly unpredictable. It’s also likely that the prosecutor may uncover extra evidence to convince the jury against you. When you plead guilty, you also avoid a lot of unwanted media and public attention. Unlike trials, plea bargains are not public ordeals.
Going Through Trial
On the other hand, going through trial also has a set of benefits. It buys you more time to prepare your case. If there are chances of you ending up in jail, the trail also allows you to spend some time with the family.
If you’re actually innocent and have been wrongly convicted, the trial is your only way to justice. It’s the only way you can completely erase the criminal charges from your records. When you’re going through a trial, you also qualify for certain rights granted by the US Constitution.
According to your constitutional rights, you’ll be presumed innocent until the court gives the final verdict. The law puts the responsibility to prove you guilty on the prosecutor’s shoulders. They have to prove every element of the crime beyond any kind of reasonable doubt. During this time, the law also protects you from unreasonable searches and police misconduct. On the other hand, the plea bargain process offers little incentive for the defendant.
Before opting for either of the two options, you will need help to escape the bars first. If you’re based in Indiana, DeLaughter Bail Bonds may help you get them out of jail. We are offering 24-hours bail bond services in Indiana.
