The Ethics of Plea Bargaining

A look into whether plea bargaining is in accordance with a defendant's constitutional right. 

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Published September 6, 2024

Arugument Written by Simran Agarwal

For most people, it’s nearly impossible to imagine pleading guilty to a crime one did not commit. Yet, 95% of all felony convictions in the U.S. have been obtained through plea bargaining. Plea bargains are an agreement that a prosecutor and a defender make, where the charged offender is given the option to plead guilty in return for a lesser sentence. The ethics of plea-bargaining have always been a fine line as rewards for admitting guilt in contrast to one's constitutional right to a fair trial. Supported by the Supreme Court, prosecutors have taken to threatening harsher sentences to coerce offenders to plead guilty, failing to fulfill their duty to administer justice. 

The ethics of plea bargaining were strengthened by the Supreme Court decision, v Frye (2012). Under this ruling, the Court applied the two-part Strickland standard, which stated that Frye was given ineffective assistance and therefore his admission of guilt was inadmissible in court. In referencing this decision, the justices affirmed that plea bargains must be based on an “informed and intelligent decision by the defendant” and that the states provide protection “against pleas that were the result of inadequate advice.” 

Justice Kennedy, a justice on the Supreme Court, further recognized that today's criminal justice system has evolved and rested more on the negotiation of plea bargains than reviewing and factual guilt that is required at a criminal trial. Justice Kennedy’s statement refers to the dilemma of plea bargains and the lack of law and justice applied during these bargains. Typically, to arrest someone for a crime there must be probable cause, however, when prosecutors fail to conduct a thorough investigation, they fail to meet the probable cause standard when offering the plea bargain. 

Not only are prosecutors failing to meet the probable cause requirement, but there are issues of prejudice and ineffective deliverance of justice. Prosecutors favor plea bargains because they prevent the court from being flooded with cases and gives them more time and money to spend on more important or controversial cases. But, by not giving each case the same time deserved, plea bargaining has the potential to ruin lives by labeling innocent people as criminals.  

In 2015, Lavette Mayes fought with her mother-in-law and was charged with aggravated assault with bail set at $250,000. Unable to pay, she spent the next 14 months in jail, in which she lost her job, developed health problems, and was forced to stay away from her family. Once released, she still suffered trauma during her time incarcerated and was forced to plead guilty. Mayes’s case is one of many that demonstrates the criminal justice system’s reliance on plea bargaining. 

While there are benefits to a plea-bargaining system, the immense power granted to prosecutors and the ability to threaten a harsher sentence to force confessions inherently unethical. It dooms  defendants to life in prison or a criminal background, affecting their chances of rejoining and effectively reintegrating into society. Defendants no longer place their trust in the law as the law is now controlled by power and threats.  

Frye and the decision show the power imbalance as public defenders and their clients may just be forced to take any plea their way instead of one that is fair and advantageous. In Frye's case, the defense counsel was negligent, and would not have accepted the plea were it not for the counsel’s insufficient advice. But, because of the guilty plea, the defendant was influenced, and any facts of the case might have had a negligible effect depending on if it was presented before or after the admission of guilt. While Missouri v Frye expanded the scope of the 6th Amendment in affirming the role of plea bargaining within the justice system, it also reflected the vague procedures. 

Due to a lack of standards on plea bargaining, it also invites racial prejudice. On average, African Americans receive harsher charges and worse plea offers by prosecutors in comparison to their white counterparts. Since plea bargaining usually takes place behind the scenes, racial prejudice goes unchecked. In tandem with legal standards for a plea bargain, racial bias is rampant. Furthermore, any potential racial bias is not confronted by juries or judges so any bias towards defendants of color is hard to prove. If we are to keep plea bargains within the system, they must be both ethical and racially fair. 

Justice Scalia, another justice of the Supreme Court who decided on the case, offered a dissenting view on the case of Missouri v. Frye, saying “In reality, post-trial sentencing exposures are excessive by design and serve almost exclusively to induce defendants to plead.” Justice Scalia’s statement aligns with critics of plea bargaining who argue they are an obstruction of justice, coercing defendants to plead guilty. To truly fulfill the 6th Amendment, and a defendant's right to a trial, plea bargaining must become ethical with more restraints on prosecutors so that defendants can get the justice they deserve. 

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Bell, Breann. “The Unruly World of Pleas: Ethics in Plea Bargaining.” crimlawpractitioner, October 19, 2023. https://www.crimlawpractitioner.org/post/the-unruly-world-of-pleas-ethics-in-plea-bargaining. 

“Coerced Pleas.” Innocence Project, May 4, 2023. https://innocenceproject.org/coerced-pleas/. 

Legal Information Institute. Plea bargain. Legal Information Institute. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/plea_bargain 

Lippke, Richard L. “The Ethics of Plea Bargaining.” OUP Academic, October 27, 2011. https://academic.oup.com/book/5498. 

Plea bargaining and effective assistance of counsel after Lafler and Frye. Brennan Center for Justice. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/plea-bargaining-and-effective-assistance-counsel-after-lafler-and-frye 

R A Fine, NCJRS Virtual Library. Plea Bargaining: An Unnecessary Evil | Office of Justice Programs. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/plea-bargaining-unnecessary-evil 

Trivedi, S. (2023, July 17). Coercive plea bargaining has poisoned the criminal justice system. it’s time to suck the venom out.: ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union. https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/coercive-plea-bargaining-has-poisoned-the-criminal-justice-system-its-time-to-suck-the-venom-out 

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