Assignment:
Discussion 1: Decisions in the Judicial System
A high-profile case lands on your desk. Law enforcement built this case extensively over time, and it has gained public attention. Your office has been plea-bargaining at high volume lately to address an overflow of cases, but you know that a plea in this case-which is an option-may cause outrage. Another case, heartbreaking and unjust, but without the public attention, also lands on your desk. A plea is technically an option here as well. What should you do?
Last week, you began to explore the factors that criminal justice professionals weigh when presented with a case in the judicial system. This week, you extend your critical thinking by advocating for specific choices based on a case study.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze prosecutorial strategies for pursuing the truth and just outcomes
- Evaluate ethical considerations when employing prosecutorial strategies
- Evaluate factors relevant to a decision to pursue a trial
- Recommend charges and court for a crime
- Analyze the choice of pursuing a trial over a plea deal
Discussion 2: Truth, Justice, and Charging
Overcharging, or piling on charges to trigger the acceptance of a plea deal, is a common practice in prosecutorial settings to get a defendant to accept a particular deal. Horizontal charging, or multiplying accusations, and vertical charging, or charging at a higher level than warranted, are variations of overcharging. Depending on your perspective, these strategies provide leverage to uncover the truth, or they force defendants to make poor choices, admitting to inflated charges. But is the issue that clearly delineated? In this Discussion, you consider similar questions.
Post a response to the following:
1. How can overcharging or horizontal and vertical charging be employed as a strategy for discovering the truth? When is it most appropriate?
2. By whom are the strategies best applied?
3. At what point does overcharging or horizontal and vertical charging become coercion?
4. Is the strategy ethical?
Attachment:- Plea and Charge Bargaining.rar