What is Sentence Bargaining?
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Houston Criminal Law Video Transcription
Sentence bargaining is a portion of the process where we negotiate with the prosecutor on what the punishment should be. At this point, we’ve come to the conclusion that we’re going to be liable on the case. Meaning we’re going to be held responsible for that charge.
And what we want to do is get the sentence as low as possible based upon the facts and circumstances surrounding the case. One of those big facts and circumstances would be whether or not it is a violent crime. If it’s a non-violent crime, that is much better for us. We have more leeway and credibility with the prosecutor in asking for a lower sentence. And that includes fines. If the fines are up to $10,000, we can keep trying to keep the fines low.
We can also try to keep you from having to do any time in jail. That’s one of the big things that we do for our clients, is we fight to keep them out of jail, and on probation, if we’re going to be liable on the charge. That allows you to keep your job, to keep your standing in the community, and go about your life, and not have this criminal charge destroy your job, your career, and your life.
