The Role of Plea Bargaining in Human Trafficking Cases
Perpetrators of human trafficking are statistically likely to enjoy impunity for their crimes. What may surprise many outside the legal field is that even where human traffickers are captured and prosecuted, the courtroom is unlikely to configure in the process at all. This is attributable to what can broadly be termed as “plea bargaining”. A greater recognition of plea bargaining in human trafficking cases as a growing international norm is sorely needed. Current practice suggests that the use of plea bargaining is usually dictated not by any balancing of interests, but rather by limitations in resources.