Arizona and DUI Plea Deal Options
Though some criminal cases result in trial, most are resolved out of court through an agreement known as a plea bargain. In an Arizona DUI case, the dui plea deal or bargaining process allows a defendant to avoid the time and cost of trial and the risk of a harsher punishment if convicted.
Meanwhile, the prosecution saves time and spares the risk of uncertainty that comes with taking a case to trial.
Many Types of DUI Plea Deals
Plea bargains don’t simply involve pleading guilty or obtaining a lesser criminal sentence. They also allow the parties to negotiate an agreement that satisfies both sides of the deal.
For example, a plea bargain may involve pleading guilty to a less-serious offense than the charge or dismissing one charge in exchange for a guilty plea to another charge.
Some plea deals allow the defendant to agree to a sentence that does not involve high fines or license suspension.
Plea Deal Available at Any Time?
An experienced DUI attorney can negotiate a client’s DUI plea deal with the prosecutor at any point in the proceedings. Sometimes this involves formal negotiations over the phone.
In other cases, the DUI attorney and prosecutor meet in a mandated pretrial or settlement conference in the judge’s chambers.
In any case, it’s important to remember that the prosecutor does not have to offer a plea deal. The stronger the prosecutor’s case, the more a defendant will need to compromise in the deal.
No is an Option
Even though a prosecutor may have the upper hand in a plea deal, there is no need for a defendant to accept a weak take it or leave it plea deal.
If a prosecutor is trying to intimidate someone into accepting, then the defendant should seek a criminal defense lawyer’s advice through these difficult negotiations.