Discussion Board for law class

In this forum, you will discuss the concept of and issues surrounding plea bargaining in the court system.  

Scenario:

A carjacking has left its victim seriously traumatized to the point that he fears getting in his vehicle.

• What is the pretrial process?  List and briefly define each step of the pretrial process.  
• Give your opinion on the perpetrator of this crime plea bargaining the case.  Be sure to define what plea bargaining is and what parties are involved in a plea bargain.
• Is a plea bargain in this case fair? 
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages from the perspective of the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant.  You might consider reviewing the different motivations for plea bargaining as outlined in your textbook.
• Now consider that the defendant in the carjacking case has information on other crimes and defendants.  Do you think that a prosecutor should offer a favorable plea bargain to a defendant who provides helpful information concerning a different defendant?  What are the pros and cons of this practice?
• 
  

watch the video, Pretrial Procedures, discussing finding probable cause, charging, grand juries, and preliminary hearings.

watch the video, Plea Bargains and Pretrial Motions.