plea bargaining

American  

noun

1. an agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant whereby the defendant is allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge rather than risk conviction for a graver crime in order to avoid a protracted trial or to win the defendant's cooperation as a witness.

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plea bargaining British  

noun

1. law an agreement between the prosecution and defence, sometimes including the judge, in which the accused agrees to plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for more serious charges being dropped

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Etymology

Origin of plea bargaining

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65