From Live5news.com, By Emily Johnson and Michael Allison, January 15, 2026 (Read full article and watch video here)
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — Nearly every criminal case in Charleston County ends with a plea deal, but some victims say those deals leave them feeling betrayed.
Plea deals are a critical piece of the justice system: a balancing act between offenders, victims and South Carolina courts.
Inside the Charleston County Courthouse, almost every single criminal case goes through some form of negotiation, which is on track with the rest of the nation. Ninety-eight percent of criminal cases end with a plea bargain, according to the American Bar Association.
But that means almost every person facing a criminal charge will never go before a jury.
Iin over a year throughout all South Carolina courts, only 703 criminal cases ended in a trial out of almost 140,000 data from South Carolina’s Judicial Branch states.
Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said that it’s simply impossible for every case to have its own trial.
“I think it’s important for the public to understand, we don’t negotiate pleas just to move cases and we don’t negotiate pleas just because we have many pending cases,” Wilson said. “We cannot try every case; it’s physically impossible. We don’t have the court, we don’t have the resources and nobody in this country does.”
That is where plea deals step in, offered by a prosecutor to a defendant. A plea deal often includes pleading guilty to one charge instead of multiple or accepting guilt for a reduced sentence.
“We have to look at what are our chances of getting a conviction. Getting 12 people to agree, I mean, it’s hard to get 12 people to agree to go to dinner somewhere, much less on something that’s going to have lifetime effects for people,” Wilson said.
Defense Attorney Joseph Cannarella said it is a big decision for his clients to accept guilt, which requires Cannarella to lay it all out on the table.
“They’re making a decision about their life based on what you, as the lawyer, is telling them,” Cannarella said. “At the end of the day, when somebody enters a guilty plea, they’re giving up a lot of rights, and they’re accepting guilt.”
Read more and watch video on Live5news.com, Why most South Carolina criminal cases never reach a jury