Farrar v. State

Doubts accumulate as to whether what is termed a “plea bargain” has a proper place or function in the administration of criminal justice.

Traditionally, it was no more than an offer by defendant to enter a plea of guilty if the charge brought was dropped to a lesser offense.

Such exchange of a guilty plea for a lowered charge, carrying less extreme penalties, was termed in court and corridor “copping a plea.”

By pleading guilty to the lesser charge, the defendant avoided the risk of exposure to the more severe penalty that was prescribed for the offense with which he was initially charged.1

*655By…