THE CONCEPT Of PLEA BARGAINING IN UGANDA "A MYTH OR A REALITY"

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................. i

APPROVAL. .................................................................................................................................. ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................................. iii

CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................ 1

1.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background of the study ................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Statement of the problem ................................................................................................. 3

1.3 Purpose of the study .......................................................................................................... 3

1.4 Research objectives ............................................................................................................ 3

1.5 Research Questions ............................................................................................................ 4

1.6 Scope of the study ............................................................................................................. .4

1.6.1 Geographical scope ......................................................................................................... 4

1.6.2 Content scope .................................................................................................................. 4

1.6.3 Time scope ....................................................................................................................... 5

1.7 Significance .......................................................................................................................... s

1.8 Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 6

1.9 Literature review ................................................................................................................. 6

CHAPTER TW0 ......................................................................................................................... 14

RELATED LAW AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS ON PLEA BARGAINING ................... 14

2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 14

2.2 Form of plea bargain agreement... ................................................................................. 14

2.3 Considerations in Bargaining ........................................................................................... 15

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2.3.1 The gravity of the crime ............................................................................................... 15

2.3.2 Adequacy of punishment. ............................................................................................. 16

2.3.3 The offender ................................................................................................................... 17

2.3.4 The victim ....................................................................................................................... 17

2.3.5 Evidence .......................................................................................................................... 18

CHAPTER THREE ..................................................................................................................... 20

CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON PLEA BARGAINING IN UGANDA ................................................ 20

3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 20

3.2 The Arguments against Plea Bargaining at the National Level .................................. 2o

3.2.1 Pressure to Plead and Condemnation of the Innocent.. .......................................... 2o

3.3 Plea Bargaining Violates the Human Rights of the Accused ...................................... 27

3.4 Plea Bargaining gives too much Discretion and Power to the Prosecutor ............... 29

3.6 Plea Bargaining results in Sentences that fail to recognise the Gravity of the

Criminal Conduct ...................................................................................................................... 35

3.7 The Arguments for Plea Bargaining at National Level ................................................ 39

Critiques of Plea Bargaining ................................................................................................... 39

CHAPTER FOUR ...................................................................................................................... .41

SUMMARY OF RESULTS ON THE ROLE OF PLEA BARGAINING IN UGANDA CRIMINAL

JUSTICE SYSTEM .................................................................................................................... .41

1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 41

4.2 Efficiency ............................................................................................................................ 42

4.3 The theoretical arguments for and against plea bargaining at the international

level ........................................................................................................................................... 43

4.4 The Arguments against Plea Bargaining in International Courts .............................. 43

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4.4.1 Pressure to Plead and Condemnation of the Innocent: The International Context

.......................................................................................•............................................................ ~

4.4.2 Plea Bargaining can result in the failure of the court to Realise the Full Truth

and Distorts the Historical Record ....................................................................................... .45

4.4.3 Prosecutoriallncentives to Entering into a Plea Bargain ........................................ .46

CHAPTER FIVE ......................................................................................................................... 48

RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION ............................................................................. .48

5.1 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 48

5.2 Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 49

BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................... , ............................................................................................ 51

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CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

The term plea bargaining is one which attracts different meanings worldwide and there

is no standard universal definition. A broad and simple definition would be where an

accused person is given an incentive to plead guilty by a promise, or at least a chance,

that he will be 'rewarded' in a certain way.1 Black's Law Dictionary offers a definition of

plea bargaining that refers to the accused person