Plea bargaining

Plea bargaining, agreement between the accused and the prosecutor under which the accused agrees to plead guilty to a lesser offense in order to receive a lighter sentence from the judge. Plea bargaining has been accepted by judges, prosecutors, and lawyers as necessary though undesirable, saving time and speeding up the work of overcrowded courts, but denying the accused a fair trial and not requiring the prosecutor to prove the accused's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.