Resolved: Plea bargaining in exchange for testimony is unjust

I will start by refuting my opponent's case. My opponent's first point is that the victim in this situation is being treated unjustly. He reasons this by saying that those involved in the crime are not being held accountable to the full extent of their crime. According to one writer [1] the U.S. only drops the higher charge in place of a smaller conviction 2.56% of the time. The remaining majority of plea bargaining is only a reduction of the sentence attatched to the original crime. This ensures that a criminal still serves an amount of time proportional to the severity of their crime. I'll illustrate this for you: Bob steals $300 from a convenience store. He's caught and convicted. He has information that will certainly lead to the conviction of a serial killer at large. In the US, the time served for a crime is given as a range that can cover several punishent choices. Because of this the District Attourney offers the theif a plea bargain to reduce the sentence of his conviction from the high end of that range to the low end. This will stay perfectly within the limits of proportionality and thus negates my opponent's first point. My opponent's second point is this: That plea bargaining indangers the innocent by allowing criminals into the streets sooner than without the bargain. In responce I would like to make two points [2]: 1: Plea bargains in exchange testimony help convict the worst criminals and protect society: It allows the court system to put away the most serious offenders by getting testimony that could not be obtained otherwise; who knows more about the workings of crime than those involved in it? Many of these people will not testify unless there is something in it for them. Also, when those who are guilty beyond a doubt are exonerated in front of a jury because correct procedures have not been followed by the police or other agents, a plea bargain may be the only way to convict them and get them off the streets. 2: Plea bargaining lowers the risk of acquittal and freed criminals. Plea bargaining and plea bargaining in exchange for testimony creates a certainty of a conviction. No matter how strong the evidence may appear, an acquittal is always possible as long as a trial is pending. Ordinary plea bargaining as well as plea bargaining in exchange for testimony are both means to this end, which helps protect society. My opponent's third point is this: That the rights of the defendent are being corrupted by plea bargaining. In responce I offer the following six points [3]: 1: Judges take measures to ensure defendants are not pressured to enter into false plea bargains 2: Abuses do not justify banning plea bargaining in exchange for testimony: The abuse of a system does not mean the system is illegal; it could simply mean that measures need to be taken to ensure that individuals are complying with the legal boundaries of the system. Abuses of plea bargaining in exchange for testimony can be countered by fighting these abuses; it is not appropriate to abandon the practice in the face such abuses. 3: Before a judge can accept a plea bargain recommendation, it must be demonstrated that the person voluntarily and knowingly waived their rights and plead guilty to the charge. Texas courts are actually obligated to document proof of this to ensure the waivers on record reflect a voluntary and knowing waiver of rights.[4] 4: Defendants have the right to engage in plea bargain contracts at their discretion 5: Plea bargaining may be a way out for innocent people who are framed - they can get a lighter sentence than they would standing in front of a jury. 6: Resolving a case quickly by plea bargaining relieves undue stress to the defendant While an argument of plea bargaining in general, this can also be cited as an added defense of plea bargaining in exchange for testimony. Within my rebuttal against my opponent I have presented the basic defence of plea bargaining and will allow it to stand as my case. My sources: [1] : http://www.enotes.com... [2] : http://www.cato.org... [3] : http://www.abanet.org... [4] : http://texascriminaldefenselawyer.blogspot.com... More sources: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com... http://criminal.findlaw.com... http://www.nolo.com... http://www.pbs.org... http://www.truthinjustice.org...