Alford plea

unjust, and illegal. The state, miraculously, offered the West Memphis Three an Alford plea after examining new evidence in 2011 (Paradise Lost 3). Here is some kind of oxymoronic legal plea developed because the Criminal Justice System sometimes finds itself in a predicament that has very little to do with justice and more with self preservation. On the one hand, the state does not have enough evidence to support their initial convictions of the West Memphis Three (Paradise Lost 3). On the other hand, according to Paradise Lost 3:Purgatory if the state allowed this case to go to trial, yet again, they may run into some serious dilemmas. First, the trial could take several months or even years, costing the state money on the retrial. Second, the state admitted that if the case was overturned there could be the possibility of the state owing the prisoners millions of dollars in restitution. Last, if the initial ruling was overturned then the state would have to reopen the case for investigation. Instead the state offered the Alford plea, a plea that allows the defendants to proclaim their innocence but plead guilty with time served (Paradise Lost 3). The offer of this type of plea is a prime example of the injustice in the authority of the system that calls itself just. The innocent are freed from the danger and the torture of solitary confinement and incarceration by accepting this plea. Nonetheless, regardless of innocence, they are convicted murders, not allowed…

information regarding police activities. Her lawyer urged her to take an Alford plea in order to avoid going through trial and facing a harsher punishment (Austin, 2014). Although she still wanted to plead innocent, this was the best choice for her since a jury would not have been lenient. During the prosecution, Fields eventually accepted the plea deal and was only prosecuted for two charges. The two charges were two counts of carnal knowledge (Austin, 2014). Throughout the entire investigation…

Abolishing the Plea Bargaining System 97 percent of federal cases and 94 percent of state cases end in plea bargains, with defendants pleading guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence (Goode, 2012). A plea bargain is an arrangement that happens between a prosecutor and the defendant in a criminal case. The prosecutor gives the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty to their charge or a lesser charge in order to avoid trial and the possibility of receiving the maximum sentence. While it would…

It also shows the importance of having a jury trial because it makes the case public, and fair due to the fact that the jury is supposed to be composed of a defendant’s peers. This chapter also showcases the justice system’s ability to fix and review cases that have been done incorrectly, especially in the case of Snyder, in which he was able to prove that the prosecution had created a biased jury. This chapter also highlights the most important aspects of the trial, and how strict it is in its…

Remand custody, or pre-trial detention cases have been vastly increasing over the last ten years. Individuals who have not been sentenced yet are in remand custody, which is when an individual is in custody but awaiting their trail or sentence (Griffiths, 2014, p.179). Previously inmates had the larger number in prisons; however, the remand population has climbed and on most cases has outnumbered convicted inmates (Weinrath, 2009, p.355). Through the Justice of the Peace or a judge, individuals…

justice system works when speaking of the minority. Innocent individuals are being charged for crimes they did not commit and are being interrogated and threated to except all blame for crimes. Prosecutors bully defendants into pleading guilty and accepting plea-bargains. These prosecutors believe in playing with defendants’ incompetence, so they focus on their lack of knowledge to get the case closed and someone locked down. Prosecutors are fully aware that most of their defendants are not…

abide by the conditions set forth in the program (wolf 6). As stated in the summary report “the mission of the mental health court is to promote public safety, reduce criminal activity associated with offenders with a mental illness, and enable the participant to live a productive and law-abiding lifestyle in our community” (wolf 6). I argue how sad our civilization has become when a mentally ill person is forced to pled guilty to a charge weather guilty or not just to receive help for their…

I have observed a few cases in the adult plea court, and while some cases were quick and short, only one was long. Even though there were various of cases that were dealing with different types of crimes, I saw that the legal system was still fair with their decisions towards the accused. A small case that occurred was R v. Stanley and the type of case was assault which is under section 265.1(a) in the criminal code. The name of the accused was Alloq Stanley, the crown 's name was Mr. Humphrey…

Plea bargaining is a deal offered by the prosecution to the defense, which would be a guilty plea with a lighter sentence. The prosecution, defense, and judges all play a role in a plea bargain. Although it offers several benefits., the plea bargain has faced much criticism from the public. However, the plea bargain has become a significant part of the criminal justice system in the United States, with only 4% of cases actually going to trial because of these deals. The plea bargain is offered…

A plea bargain is an agreement that the defendant will plead guilty to the original or another charge in return for some concession from the prosecutor (https://www.fbi.gov/resources/victim-assistance/a-brief-description-of-the-federal-criminal-justice-process). Some of the advantages of plea bargaining are that it helps move the cases through the system much quicker, therefore, it helps to de-clog the court system so that the focus could be on more serious offenses. The person that takes the…