The Impact of Plea Bargaining on Trial Justice from a Comparative Perspective Free Essay Example, 3750 words

The Yugoslavia Tribunal made the point that plea bargaining was inconsistent with its purposes in this situation and that the crimes they were dealing with were too reprehensible for a plea to be negotiated. The same policy was adopted by the Rwanda Tribunal who sentenced Jean Kambanda to life imprisonment though he had pleaded guilty to genocide. In recent times as caseloads have grown there has bee a move towards accepting plea bargaining. In 2003 the trial of Mrs Plavsic for atrocities committed against Bosnian Muslims accepted a plea of persecution as opposed to the original charge of genocide2. As a result, she was sentenced to 11 years in prison. This verdict provoked mixed reactions with some welcoming it as a step towards reconciliation whilst others criticized the court for having greater concern for the judicial economy rather than the interests of the victims (Combs, 2007). Although justification can be given for the use of plea bargaining in particular concerned with the financial saving of the judiciary many victims fail to be convinced that this is acceptable. Many want to see proper retribution for the crimes committed and see the acceptance of plea bargaining as ignoring the suffering of the victims so as to ensure the financial prosperity of the judiciary (Dressler, 1995). We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Plea Bargaining on Trial Justice from a Comparative Perspective or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page