Do I smell some funny business goin' on?
>> Monday
I don't watch Law and Order, so I know next to nothing about our legal system, my rights, or even the name for the mallet thingy the guy in the robe holds. So can someone please explain this latest Vick development to me, preferably as you would to a child? I'm looking at you, law school boy (Mike), and also at you, Mr. I Have a Degree in Criminology *Vinnie chortles* (Matt).
Are plea bargains inherently shady? Would it be as easy to set up a targeted defendant as it seems to an unlearned dum-dum like me? I ask because I sense that Vick has been double-crossed by his co-defendants and, potentially, by law enforcement involved in the case.
This is essentially what I'm trying to figure out: In a case like this one where there's a high-profile defendant and a few Joe Scumbum co-defendants, what's to stop the powers that be (aside: I love that term because it's such a fantastic cop-out when I don't know who the hell I'm actually talking about) from giving the co-defendants a sweeter-than-usual plea bargain in order to get their cooperation early on, forcing the high-profile defendant from caving or facing an unwinable trial? Had Vick been the first to accept a plea bargain for some reason, would he have gotten a deal on par with those he co-defendants received?
Answers guys, answers.
Are plea bargains inherently shady? Would it be as easy to set up a targeted defendant as it seems to an unlearned dum-dum like me? I ask because I sense that Vick has been double-crossed by his co-defendants and, potentially, by law enforcement involved in the case.
This is essentially what I'm trying to figure out: In a case like this one where there's a high-profile defendant and a few Joe Scumbum co-defendants, what's to stop the powers that be (aside: I love that term because it's such a fantastic cop-out when I don't know who the hell I'm actually talking about) from giving the co-defendants a sweeter-than-usual plea bargain in order to get their cooperation early on, forcing the high-profile defendant from caving or facing an unwinable trial? Had Vick been the first to accept a plea bargain for some reason, would he have gotten a deal on par with those he co-defendants received?
Answers guys, answers.
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1 comments:
Are plea bargains inherently shady?
I wouldn't say inherently shady. Here, it's been used as a strategy to get more information involved in the case, but it can also be used by prosecutors with a backlog of cases to lighten the load, and is an advantage for defendants because a plea bargain is never offered for a HIGHER charge. When I did jury duty earlier this summer, all the cases for that afternoon were settled or plea bargained, so we all got to go home at lunch, so I imagine it's pretty standard.
Would it be as easy to set up a targeted defendant as it seems to an unlearned dum-dum like me?
Depends on how good your attorney is.
I ask because I sense that Vick has been double-crossed by his co-defendants and, potentially, by law enforcement involved in the case.
This is essentially what I'm trying to figure out: In a case like this one where there's a high-profile defendant and a few Joe Scumbum co-defendants, what's to stop the powers that be from giving the co-defendants a sweeter-than-usual plea bargain in order to get their cooperation early on, forcing the high-profile defendant from caving or facing an unwinable trial? Had Vick been the first to accept a plea bargain for some reason, would he have gotten a deal on par with those he co-defendants received?
My guess here, knowing what little I know about this case, is that there's a lot more evidence to pin on his co-defendants. With Vick being absent(?) I could see that being the case. It makes plea bargains for them scarier because they're probably totally fucked if they go to trial. You're right, any prosecutor with an ounce of ambition wants the big scalp on his resume, and in this case, it's Vick.
With his co-defendants more pliable, the chances of getting Vick are much-increased, leading to Vick's plea bargain; essentially a "Easy way or hard way" ultimatum. Vick is accused of conspiracy, which the way I've understood it (before I've even opened my $130.00-Criminal Law casebook, is that all Vick has to do is KNOW about the operation. With the alleged dogfighting taking place in buildings constructed on his property, not too far from the residence, he'd be pretty hard-pressed to show he didn't know anything.
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