3.3 The Plea
The criminal justice system relies heavily on the plea bargaining process to work through the sheer volumes of cases. Over 95% of all felony cases end with a negotiated plea. Please watch the PBS documentary called “The Plea” using the link provided, which traces several storylines of real-life cases. It explores the dynamics of the negotiation process and highlights the consequences of entering into a plea. Compare and contrast the benefits and drawbacks (pros and cons) of plea bargaining. Discuss which story was most meaningful or compelling to you and why.
The Plea: captioning is available)