Reference no: EM132997346

The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides the right to a jury trial in criminal prosecutions. Many criminal cases today are resolved through plea bargaining. However, if a case proceeds to trial, the defendant must make the decision of whether they want a trial by jury or a bench trial (in which a judge decides whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty).

Question 1: What are some of the factors that you would consider when deciding whether this defendant should accept a plea bargain?

Question 2: In your opinion, what are the benefits of a bench trial or a jury trial?

Question 3: Do you believe that the outcome of this case would be more likely decided based on the facts or on emotion? How would knowing this affect the defendant's decision in this case to choose between a bench trial and a jury trial?