plea bargaining

noun

plea bar·​gain·​ing ˈplē-ˌbär-gə-niŋ 

: the negotiation of an agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant whereby the defendant is permitted to plead guilty to a reduced charge

plea-bargain

ˈplē-ˌbär-gən 

intransitive verb

plea bargain noun

Examples of plea bargaining in a Sentence

As a result of plea bargaining, he would not be sentenced to death.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to Lawrence Schiller’s massive 2000 book about the investigation, Perfect Murder, Perfect Town, the Boulder DA had a liberal culture, emphasizing community policing and plea bargaining instead of going to trial. —Alessa Dominguez, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024

Enhancements are often dropped during the plea bargaining stage in Canyon County, court records show. —Rachel Spacek, Idaho Statesman, 25 Jan. 2024

In the federal system, judges are not allowed to have any discussion about plea bargaining with the parties. —Cynthia Alkon, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2023

Prosecutors rely on plea bargaining at times to strengthen their cases by offering deals contingent on a defendant agreeing to testify against another person. —Cynthia Alkon, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

plea bargaining

noun

: the negotiation of an agreement between the prosecution and the defense whereby the defendant pleads guilty to a lesser offense or to one or some of multiple offenses usually in exchange for more lenient sentencing recommendations, a specific sentence, or dismissal of other charges

plea-bargain intransitive verb

plea bargain noun