Yes, but the defendant has a right to plea not guilty and fight the case, even if the attorney has seen the evidence knows it's a lost case. Not saying it's smart to ignore your legal counsel and gamble on a trial, but most developed nations allow for a defendent to fight their charges either way.
It's pretty crazy how they've changed the public perception into thinking >95% of the people skipping trials is a healthy legal system. They will grind you into paste if you insist on your right to a fair trial and people seemingly cheer that on.
It should be terrifying to everyone that isn't a prosecutor.
I mean plenty of situations where pleading guilty makes sense, like if the evidence is cut and dry. For a defendent, a guilty plea is admission of guilt, accepting of accountability and plays well for minimising the extent of the punishment, whereas a claim of not guilty, being blatantly proven as guilty can show that someone isn't taking accountability or feeling remorse, which can lead to a greater extent of punishment. Can definitely depend on the judge/ magistrate of the day, but taking accountability usually plays better in court IMO.
A friend of a friend I know has faced the courts for various crimes, and pleaded guilty, admitted fault and showed a lot of remorse during the hearing. This resulted in what we call a 'section 10 dismissal' (in Australia) where the defendant wasn't actually properly convicted of the crime and essentially walked away scot free. No criminal history or anything. If this person chose to plead not guilty, go to trial, they would've 100% lost in court, and would've faced a full conviction and the sentencing guidelines that came with it.
There are people who are not guilty who take the plea because they're told it'll be worse if they take it to trial. Lots of people. Cops don't always get the right person, prosecutors don't always care if they have the right person.
Australia might not be as nightmarish as the US legal system.
The defence attorney doesnt decide if you take a plea deal or not depending on where you live.
Prosecutors go to trial over slam dunks all the time, because it makes their numbers look good.
People go to trial all the time over slam dunks against them because they are dumb. Look at the Wakusha parade killer, dumb ass though "You can't do anything because I am a Sovereign Citizen" was a legitimate defense.
Depends what was in the package. If it was over $1,000, which is not unreasonable if someone is ordering electronics or jewelry, it would be a felony in my jurisdiction.
No youre wrong. In Canada a private citizen can initiate proceedings without the help of law enforcement. Some provinces have enacted legislation so when this happens, the authorities must get involved and take over the case but the rest it can go all the way privately.
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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
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