Should you take a plea deal in your criminal case?

On Behalf of The Law Office of Brad C. Richardson, LLC | Jan 11, 2022

It’s stressful facing criminal charges. After all, a conviction could lead to incarceration, hefty fines, and a haunting criminal record. Although the prosecution may seek the harshest penalties against you, you might have the option to avoid them by negotiating a plea deal. But before you settle on one of these agreements, you need to make sure that you’re fully considering it so that you can make the decision that is right for you. Here are some of the factors that you need to take into account:

What the deal offers in light of maximum penalties: You can start by looking at how good of a deal your being offered in terms of penalty reduction. If there’s not much being reduced, then what’s the point of taking a plea deal? If there’s a significant drop in penalties, on the other hand, then you might have to give the offer more consideration.
The strength of your case: If you have the ability to suppress much of the prosecution’s evidence, or the state simply doesn’t have the evidence it needs to obtain a conviction, then you might be better off taking your case to trial to see if you can obtain a conviction. If your defense is weak, though, and the evidence is insurmountable, then resolving your case might be best.
Your desire to quickly move one: Some plea deals allow accused individuals to avoid jail time. As such, many of these people simply want to resolve their case so that they can quickly move on with life without the need for prolonged and stressful litigation. What are you willing to deal with as you fight the charges against you?

Make the informed criminal defense decisions that are right for you

Before you accept a plea deal, you need to fully assess your criminal defense options. Only through adequate preparation can you make the fully informed decisions that are right for you. If you’d like to learn more about what you can do to build a strong criminal defense, then you may want to discuss the circumstances of your case with an experienced legal professional.