- cop a plea
-
Slang for a plea bargain in which an accused defendant in a criminal case agrees to plead guilty or "no contest" to a crime. In return, the prosecutor promises to recommend a lenient sentence, or may agree to drop some of the charges. Often the judge agrees to the recommendation before the plea is entered (becomes final).Category: Criminal LawCategory: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- cop a plea
-
n.slang for a "plea bargain" in which an accused defendant in a criminal case agrees to plead guilty or "no contest" to a crime in return for a promise of a recommendation of leniency in sentencing to be made by the prosecutor to the judge and/or an agreement by the prosecutor to drop some of the charges. Often the judge agrees to the recommendation before the plea is entered (becomes final).See also: plea bargain
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
Look at other dictionaries:
cop a plea — {v. phr.}, {slang}, {colloquial} To plead guilty during a trial in the hope of getting a lighter sentence as a result. * /The murderer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copped a plea of guilty, and got away with a life sentence instead of the death … Dictionary of American idioms
cop a plea — {v. phr.}, {slang}, {colloquial} To plead guilty during a trial in the hope of getting a lighter sentence as a result. * /The murderer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copped a plea of guilty, and got away with a life sentence instead of the death … Dictionary of American idioms
cop a plea — phrasal slang : to plead guilty to a lesser charge in order to avoid standing trial for a more serious one compare bargain plea * * * cop a plea (criminal sl) To plead guilty to a lesser charge in order to speed the judicial process and/or avoid… … Useful english dictionary
cop a plea — verb To plead guilty to a lesser criminal charge than one had been charged with. Syn: plea bargain See Also: cop out, plea bargain, plea bargaining … Wiktionary
cop a plea — tv. to plead guilty to a lesser charge. □ Rocko copped a plea and got off with a week in the slammer. □ I wanted to cop a plea, but didn’t have the chance … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
cop a plea — plead guilty to a crime in order to get a lesser penalty He was forced to cop a plea when the evidence against him became too strong to dispute … Idioms and examples
cop a plea — American, informal to admit that you are guilty of a crime in order to try to get a less severe punishment. The police hoped the men would cop a plea and testify against the ringleaders in return for reduced sentences … New idioms dictionary
cop a plea — N. Amer. engage in plea bargaining. → cop … English new terms dictionary
cop a plea — vb American to plead guilty to a lesser offence than the one which is charged to speed up the judicial process (for the prosecu tors) and avoid a heavier sentence (for the defendant). A strategy which forms the basis of plea bargaining, a… … Contemporary slang
cop\ a\ plea — v. phr. slang colloquial To plead guilty during a trial in the hope of getting a lighter sentence as a result. The murderer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copped a plea of guilty, and got away with a life sentence instead of the death penalty … Словарь американских идиом