Plea negotiations are very prevalent in the popular television series Law and Order. If an episode is chosen at random, there's a good chance the show's lawyers have offered a plea bargain. Although many people might believe that the media distorts the public's understanding of the frequency of plea negotiations, this is actually an appropriate representation. According to Heumann, approximately 10% of criminal cases proceed to trial (Heumann, 1975). Likewise, as Menkel-Meadow stated, plea bargains are the reason why there may be congestion in the courts, but low numbers of criminals are actually imprisoned (Menkel-Meadow, 2005). There has been speculation about whether or not plea bargains are effective in achieving a desirable outcome. Some believe that plea negotiations are used to scare innocent defendants into pleading guilty. Another theory is that guilty defendants use plea negotiations only to expedite their sentencing. As Chin said, because there is the possibility that an innocent defendant will plead guilty, it merits an obligation on lawyers to ensure that the client understands the consequences (Chin