A plea bargain is a good way for some defendants to get a criminal case taken care of. As part of the plea bargain, you are given some measure of control over the outcome of the case. You agree that you will plead guilty or no contest to criminal charges in exchange for a specific sentence or less serious charge.
Before you decide that you are going to accept a plea bargain, you need to look carefully at the conditions that come with this arrangement. There are some that might be deal breakers for you, so make sure you take the time to fully understand the terms of the deal.
One of these is that you are giving up your right to appeal the case. The only way that a person who accepted a plea deal could appeal is if there were gross errors made by the court or his or her attorney. These are few and far between, but they aren’t unheard of so make sure you evaluate the possibility.
The ineffective assistance of counsel is one of the reasons why you might be able to appeal. Some examples of this include your attorney failing to explain the charges or the possible consequences you are facing.
There are many different things that might lead to a criminal appeal. You should evaluate all of these carefully to ensure that you aren’t missing out on a valid point to raise as the basis for an appeal. While there are some limited reasons you can appeal a plea, there are many more that can lead to an appeal if your case goes through a trial.
Source: FindLaw, “Can You Appeal a Plea Bargain?,” accessed Dec. 08, 2017
