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nols | 8 years ago

What if someone did it and is willing to admit it? Still force them to go to trial, a trial that may take longer than the punishment for their crime? And victims too, say someone robs you, now you're forced to take time off work to attend a trial for the person that admitted to robbing you and also doesn't want a trial.

Plus there would need to be a massive expansion of the court system to accommodate trials for everyone. Where's the money to pay for that going to come from?

Criminal justice reform is necessary, removing plea deals completely is foolishly short sighted.

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gjjrfcbugxbhf|8 years ago

If you can't afford to give that many people due process you can't afford to imprison them.

nols|8 years ago

That many people don't go to prison, they get fines or community service or probation.

BearGoesChirp|8 years ago

> Still force them to go to trial, a trial that may take longer than the punishment for their crime?

Yes. People have been coerced into false pleas. The prosecutor should have to prove the case. And if their punishment is so light, we should consider if it should be a crime at all.

>And victims too, say someone robs you, now you're forced to take time off work to attend a trial for the person that admitted to robbing you and also doesn't want a trial.

If you want them to be punished, then the prosecutor has to prove their case. If it is so cut and dry, perhaps they don't need your testimony at all.

>Plus there would need to be a massive expansion of the court system to accommodate trials for everyone. Where's the money to pay for that going to come from?

We get rid of minor crimes that shouldn't be crimes to begin with. Reduce the prison population and you can use the saved money to expand courts a bit, if need be. Was the cost reason enough to not ensure other rights are met, such as work needed to comply with ADA?

>removing plea deals completely is foolishly short sighted.

Not seeing the fundamental violation of rights caused by plea deals is foolishly ignorant.

Zigurd|8 years ago

What if someone did it and is willing to admit it?

Under current policies, that results in more lenient punishment than the innocent who fight their charges. So, yes, try them.

Where is the money for that going to come from? Ending the Drug War would cut the number of criminal cases by more than half.

wil421|8 years ago

The whole point of a plea deal is to give a more lenient sentence in exchange for admitting guilt. If that wasn't the case everyone would just go to trial for everything, there's always a chance of getting out.

Even traffic court works this way.