If people plead guilty in court, why do they seem to receive lighter sentences?

Answer 1

rehabilitation. realizing you did something wrong is the first step in learning to not do it again. taking responsibility for you actions is the right thing to do as well. perhaps the courts lienancy is to encourage this behaviour.

Answer 2

Because they save the government a great deal of money. A trial cost tax payers money and when a defendant pleads guilty the taxpayers save money. Many times a person will be arrested for a crime they didn't commit. The crime they get arrested for is usually one grade above the actual crime they commited. Then they plea bargain down to the actual crime they commited. This gives the District Attorney leverage and or he can downgrade the crime at his discretion (change the charges). He would downgrade the charges if there is little chance of a conviction of the higher crime. The reason to plead guilty and receive a lower sentence because the defendant admits guilt and knows his crime is wrong is falacious. It just puts a pretty face on the way our governmant operates sometimes.

Answer 3

When the convict pleads guitly, he or she shows the whole court that he or she is sorry and has remorse. The reason they have lighter sentences is the same as the way good behavior shortens the jail term. The person seems less likely to commit the same crime again, therefore a little less threat to society, which is what the court wants, and is for.

Answer 4

It's an incentive not to waste court time.

It also depends at what stage of the proceedings they plead guilty, the later they plead the less credit they will receive in a reduction for their guilty plea.

If the case is also so strong against them that they had no choice but to plead guilty this can also affect their credit for a guilty plea.

Answer 5

Because it saves time and money. And also part of "rehabilitating" someone is to get them to admit to their wrongs and to show remorse.

In a sense pleading guilty does just that. But, I dont think that you necessarily get a lighter sentence all the time.

Answer 6

They dont SEEM to recieve lighter sentences, they DO recieve lighter sentences. Its plea bargaining, so that they dont waste courts time in trying to find out whether the defendant is guilty of not. Makes the process cheaper, and obviously quicker

Answer 7

It really depends on the judge, the crime, and the local jail population. People who are not repeat abusers and commit non-violent crimes usually get off very easy buy pleading guilty. Repeat offenders of the same crime, violent offenders may get a small break but nothing substantial.

Answer 8

This is usually due to a process called "plea bargaining" where you plead guilty to a charge for a reduced sentence.

Answer 9

Because we dont F*ck with the judge and make the prosecutors job easy. Also we are admitting guilt over the stupid sh*t we have done, its a start on the path to correction.

I mean really think about it, if you were the prosecuter and some @sshole just broke the law and is trying to fight you on everything when you BOTH KNOW he commited the crime, are you going to go easy on him or let the dumbf*ck have it for giving you sh*t.

Answer 10

If it is not a serious crime, it is significant that they are saving the court time and money; lawyers use lower sentences as a bargaining tool to avoid needing to have a trial.

Answer 11

An admission of guilt is supposed to be a sign of remorse. If you plead guilty you don't put wintesses and victims through hell. Its a bit like 'yeah, I did it and I'm sorry'