Irvington High School

Raymond Zhao

AFFIRMATIVE CASE

Intro
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=4402
On a stifling afternoon in the summer of 1996, Rodney Roberts
pleaded guilty to a kidnapping. He had never met the victim, let alone
held her against her will. Yet that’s not what he told the judge in the
cramped Essex County, New Jersey, courtroom. His court-appointed
defender had convinced him his only other choice was life in prison.
I affirm the resolution, resolved: Plea bargaining ought to be abolished in
the United States criminal justice system.

Definitions
For clarity, I offer the following definitions:

The Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute defines ‘Plea

Bargain’ accordingly: Plea bargains are agreements between
defendants and prosecutors in which defendants agree to plead guilty
to some or all of the charges against them in exchange for concessions
from the prosecutors.
“Plea Bargain.” LII / Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 10 June 2009,
www.law.cornell.edu/wex/plea_bargain.

In plea bargains, prosecutors usually agree to reduce a defendant's

punishment. They often accomplish this by reducing the number of charges of the
severity of the charges against defendants. They might also agree to recommend that defendants receive reduced
sentences. Some plea bargains require defendants to do more than simply plead guilty. For example, prosecutors
often offer favorable plea bargains to defendants who agree to testify
for the state in cases against other defendants.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, to “abolish” means

“Abolish,” Cambridge Dictionary

To put an end to something, such as an organization, custom, or rule

And finally, because the resolution indicates “United States Criminal

Justice System,” the case will only be argued within the bounds of the
American court and justice system

Framework
Value: morality - “ought”
Value criterion: respecting autonomy
Thesis: Plea bargaining should be abolished as a practice in the US Criminal
Justice system
C 1: Compromised Rights
Plea bargaining compromises many of the fundamental rights the accused possess in
court. The plea bargain is a dangerous act of self incrimination that often happens when
defendants don’t have the full information and facts of the case