Thesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Plea bargaining describes the act of negotiating and concluding agreements in the criminal procedure. Usually the prosecutor and the accused agree that the accused will plead guilty to the charge brought against him in exchange for some concession from the prosecution. The bargain is not limited to the presented subject. Agreements can contain the non-prosecution or reduction of charges, specific terms of punishment, conditions of probation and much more. In many countries the vast majority of criminal cases are disposed by way of bargaining. Plea bargaining breaches with the concept of a conventional trial and consequently clashes with well-known fundamental principles of the criminal procedure. Moreover, bargaining before criminal trials strongly implicates the constitutionally secured rights of the accused as well as of the public interest. Although plea bargaining is broadly criticized for its implications on essential rules and principles, the use of the practice is widespread. There are clear benefits to the participant, such as to avoid a lengthy trial with an uncertain outcome. South Africa, as a legal system with roots in the common law, adopted the procedure in 2001 with the implementation of s 105A into the Criminal Procedure Act. The German legislature in 2009 decided to regulate what until then had been informal practice by inserting several rules into the German criminal procedure, amongst which s 257c contains the main provisions. The implementation of bargains into the German law has produced tensions particularly due to the inquisitorial basis of the criminal procedure that stands in civil law tradition. This thesis evaluates how South African and German provisions on plea bargaining differ, i.e., on which different backgrounds they are based on, how the bargain procedures are construed and to what extent statutory plea bargaining in both legal systems displaces informal traditional agreements. The comparison is enriching under the aspect that both countries implemented the bargain procedure but had to place them on fundamentally different grounds. Having presented the grounds that motivated the research (Chapter I.), the origins of plea bargaining in general as well as the legal development toward the present statutory provisions in both countries are examined (Chapter II.). The bargain procedures are compared in detail (Chapter IV.). A large part focuses on particular problem areas and how both legal systems cope with them (Chapter V.). The result of the research is summarized in a conclusion (Chapter VI.). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Pleitonderhandeling kan beskryf word as die proses van onderhandel en die aangaan van ooreenkomste in die strafproses. Die vervolging en die verdediging sal gewoonlik ooreenkom dat die beskuldigde skuldig sal pleit in ruil vir een of meer toegewings deur die vervolging. Ooreenkomste kan insluit die nie-vervolging of vermindering van klagte, spesifieke aspekte van vonnis, voorwaardes van parool en talle meer. In ‘n hele aantal lande word die oorgrote meerderheid van sake afgehandel by wyse van pleitooreenkomste. Dit is egter duidelik dat pleitooreenkomste in konflik is met die konsep van ‘n gewone verhoor en is gevolglik ook in konflik met van die grondbeginsels van die strafprosesreg. Dit raak ook die grondwetlike regte van beskuldigdes en die belange van die samelewing. Ten spyte van hierdie kritiek en meer, is die praktyk van pleitonderhandeling wydverspreid. Daar blyk besliste voordeel te wees vir die deelnemende partye, byvoorbeeld die vermyding van lang verhore met onsekere beslissings. Suid-Afrika (met ‘n sterk gemeenregtelike tradisie) het die praktyk van pleitonderhandeling formeel en per statuut in 2001 aanvaar, met die aanvaarding en invoeging van artikel 105A in die Strafproseswet, 1977. Die wetgewer in Duitsland het in 2009 besluit om die informele praktyk van pleitonderhandeling te formaliseer met die invoeging van sekere bepalings in die Duitse strafproseskode. Hierdie invoeging het sekere spanning veroorsaak in die Duitse strafproses, veral weens die inkwisitoriese tradisie in daardie jurisdiksie. Hierdie tesis evalueer die Suid-Afrikaanse en Duitse benaderings tot pleitonderhandelinge, hoe dit verskil, die verskillende regskulturele kontekste waarbinne dit plaasvind, en die mate waartoe pleitonderhandeling in beide sisteme informele ooreenkomste vervang het. Die vergelykende ondersoek bevind dat beide stelsels die pleitooreenkoms ingestel het, maar dit moes doen mvn fundamenteel verskillende gronde. Hoofstuk I (die motivering vir die studie), word gevolg deur ‘n historiese ondersoek (Hoofstuk II). Die verdere hoofstukke fokus op die regsvergelykende aspekte en die gevolgtrekkings word in Hoofstuk VI uiteengesit.

Originally Anglo-Saxon criminal process concept in the form of plea bargaining also constituting the topic of this thesis has become a phenomena within a number of civil law countries in the last decades. This alternative way of solving criminal cases consists simply of the possibility for an agreement between the prosecutor and accused through plea bargaining if the accused, under certain conditions, admits committing the offense and agrees with the proposed punishment. When looking at foreign but also domestic legal literature we may, without any exaggeration, consider plea bargainig as a controversial institute. On one side are the proponents with their strongest argument being the acceleration and simplification of the criminal proceedings. However, on the other side, their opponents refer mainly to the flagrant inconsistency of this institute with the fundamental principles of continental criminal proceedings. In the first part this thesis the author examines the agreements in criminal proceedings in general, focusing on their origin, historical development and various basic forms in which the agreements in criminal proceedings are presented in the world. Special section is devoted to plea bargaining regulation in the Czech Republic where this institute was introduced by an Amendment to the...

This thesis is dedicated to legal institute of plea bargaining which has been adopted to Czech criminal procedure law on September 1, 2012. The plea bargaining law in the Czech Republic is highly influenced by plea bargaining practise used in different forms in various common law jurisdictions. The thesis is divided into three basic chapters. First chapter of this thesis describes overall background and reasons for adoption of plea bargaining into Czech law. In this chapter the author presents and analyses reasons and desired results the Czech legislature pursues by adoption of plea bargaining and its usage in practise. Second chapter provides a critical view of relation of plea bargaining with the rest of Czech criminal procedure regulation, especially an interaction of plea bargaining with fundamental principles of criminal procedure. Third chapter focuses on whole procedure related to plea bargaining as regulated by current law. This chapter describes and analyses positions of all parties to the process concerned, plea bargaining negotiation process itself and its legal limits. Furthermore it depicts and examines the process of court hearing and position and role of the court within it. The third chapter also concerns several legal measures laid down in order to secure compliance of the plea...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-206).

This master's thesis deals with the institute of agreement process that originates in anglo-american plea bargain, which has been implemented in many criminal proceedings within the countries of continental Europe. Civil law based countries are using agreements in different forms during their criminal proceedings as an alternative to common trials. Its purpose is to make them faster and more simple. Every agreement is different from each other, but one common element is that accused person pleads guilty of crimes he/she is being prosecuted for and also that the authorities involved in given criminal proceeding are willing to make concession in punishment of the prosecuted. Even though this type of solution to overburdened authorities active in criminal proceedings seems to be quite positive, there are some critics that find this method in conflict with some basic principals of continental criminal proceeding. This thesis introduces the agreement process in general view, briefly examines its origins and focuses mainly on its legislation in the Czech Republic and Germany. Legislative force in the Czech Republic implemented the agreement on guilt and punishment into criminal proceedings by an amendment of Criminal Procedure Code No. 193/2012 Sb. as a completely new diversion, respectively as special...

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The reflection of the Anglo-American institute of the agreement on guilt and punishment in the chosen European countries Abstract The goal of this thesis is to describe which elements of an Anglo-American institute of the agreement on guilt and punishment (represented by the American federal legal regulation as the most influential regulation of this institute) are reflected in legal regulations of an agreement on guilt and punishment in chosen European countries (Slovakia and the Czech Republic) by a detailed analysis of particular legal regulations. This thesis is supposed to inform about the history of the institute of the agreement on guilt and punishment in countries of its origin (England, Wales and the USA) including its spreading into countries with European continental law tradition. The thesis is systematically divided into four chapters. The first chapter discusses the history of the institute of the agreement on guilt and punishment and individual subchapters describe historical development in the USA, historical development in England and Wales including its spreading into countries with European continental law tradition, the author also gives reasons why this is happening. The second chapter is focused on defining of key concepts of the thesis which are 'plea bargaining', the agreement on...

As the most powerful position of the courtroom workgroup, the prosecutor plays an essential role in the criminal justice system. From the defendant's initial contact with the criminal court process when the prosecutor makes the charging decision, until sentencing when the prosecutor's recommendation guides judicial discretion, prosecutors hold the power to decide a defendant's fate. Despite the parameters that govern their ability to use discretion, the prosecutor still maintains a significant amount of power to influence crucial decisions with regard to the defendant. The current study addresses the issue of prosecutorial discretion and the ability to mishandle the powers bestowed upon such a powerful position. While prosecutorial discretion has a broad base, the study was narrowed to specifically concentrate on discretion as it impacts plea bargaining and final dispositions. Additionally, an analysis of the data looks at whether or not a defendant faces jury trial penalty for exercising his/her constitutional right to a trial by jury. A statistical comparison was constructed using data collected with respect to specific murder and sexual battery statutes over a 24-month period. Based on the statistical data provided within the study, those individuals who accepted the plea deal offered by the state faced a far less severe punishment than those who opted to go to trial.

Univ., Diss.--Göttingen, 2003. / Literaturverz. S. 271 - 292.

La présente étude cherche à décrire et à comprendre les pratiques professionnelles des avocats de la défense lors des négociations des plaidoyers de culpabilité, phénomène très courant bien qu’encore trop peu connu. Nous nous sommes intéressées auxpropos de douze avocats de la défense travaillant au Palais de Justice de Montréal. Nos analyses mettent en évidence différents éléments liés à la cause, à l’accusé ou aux considérations professionnelles des avocats qui peuvent avoir une influence sur le déroulement des négociations, mais surtout, elles montrent comment ces éléments peuvent être interprétés différemment selon les avocats et les cas qu’ils défendent. De plus, le discours des avocats sur le déroulement des négociations laisse entrevoir des pratiques différentes entre eux, selon leurs niveaux d’implication (dans le dossier, dans leurs relations…). / This research paper aims to describe and understand the professional practices of criminal lawyers during plea bargaining, a well established phenomenon which is more pervasive than is commonly understood. Our study focuses on interviews of twelve criminal lawyers working at the Montréal courthouse. Our analysis emphasizes different elements related to the case, the defendant or lawyers’ professional considerations that can influence the negotiation process. We also show how those elements can be seen in a different way depending on the lawyer and the specific case they defend. Moreover, our lawyers’ interviews show that there is no uniformity in the way they handle cases, depending on their level of involvement (in the case, in their relationships…).