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Application Essay 3
Criminal Justice Research and Writing (Liberty
University)
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A plea bargain is an arrangement that is between a defendant and a prosecutor which is where the
defendant would plead guilty to the lesser charge in the hopes of leniency. One example is that
they might agree on a certain sentence to be imposed if the accused person ends up pleading
guilty to a charge that has been agreed upon or charges instead of taking it to trial “(Bohm &
Haley, 2017). I believe that a successful plea bargain is one that would benefit the defendant but
at the same time still make them pay for their crimes they committed. Also, it will benefit the
prosecution by avoiding all the court cost as well as guaranteeing justice is served by ensuring a
conviction. what happens if a plea bargain is reached even when the defendant is innocent?
There are many cases where an innocent person agrees to a plea bargain because the likelihood
of them being convicted of the crime, such as rape or murder. The reason Brian Banks even took
the plea deal was because he knew his chances of being convicted on the charge of rape were
high and it was clear that the person who accused him was not going to change her story and the
fact that they did have consensual sex means that his DNA would serve as proof. Sadly, it was a
decade later that the truth had come out and unfortunately the damage has already been done.
Because of all this, Brian has ended up having to give up five years of his life by being confined
behind prison walls, which destroyed his chance of going to college and he spent more time on
probation and even ended up having to register as a sex offender. Since the district attorney’s
office has conceded that he had been wrongfully convicted, Banks will no longer have to be
registered as a sex offender and any probation he had left to serve would be lifted and because of
all this Brian Banks could possibly even be compensated financially. Unfortunately, he will
never get back the time he had to give up. Personally, I believe that justice can only be found
within God. (He knows what we have done wrong, and what we have done right. If we do right,
we must hope that the truth will come out, for God will not punish us because he has promised
us
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redemption “(Fischer, 2016). Everything has flaws including the justice system. When it comes
down to defendants and victims their opinions on what is fair and most likely differentiate. One
example would be Brian Banks case where he had been wrongfully convicted so therefore he
would feel that the ruling is unfair. On the other hand, the victim might feel as though the
punishment reached through the plea agreement might not be harsh enough. We have to ensure
that the accused person is given their trial as well as given the opportunity to a good defense.
“we do not want to be intolerant, the rules and regulations we have in place have an implicit
moral behind them, they are morals that we should follow “(Fischer, 2016). When it comes to
the justice system they will never be able to make everyone happy and I also believe that we
should never try and take justice into our own hands. It is Romans 12:19 that states “beloved,
never avenge yourself, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written.
