Plea bargaining is a fixture in the American Criminal justice system. A lot of work can go into a properly constructed plea bargain, but to some it may seem like the easy way out.

The written assignment this week is for you to thoroughly discuss the pros and cons of the plea bargain as used in the American court system, and to describe why the plea bargain is used so often, the mechanics of how a plea bargain comes about, and what some of the positive and negative outcomes of using it are.

For reference material, use at least your text and two or more of the following sources, and remember to identify passages in your essay where you are quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing as well as the source you are using:

· Justice Department of United States Government

· Department of Homeland Security

· National Institute of Justice

· National Criminal Justice Reference Services

· Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Your paper must be formatted in the following manner:

· The paper must be in essay format. Only the body of the paper counts towards the length. No information that belongs on a title page or reference page will count towards the length requirement.

· Use Times New Roman 12 point font, and double-space your lines.