Русско-англо-русский юридический словарь

A plea bargain (also plea agreement, plea deal, copping a plea, or plea in mitigation) is any agreement in a criminal case between the prosecutor and defendant whereby the defendant agrees to plead guilty to a particular charge in return for some concession from the prosecutor. This may mean that the defendant will plead guilty to a less serious charge, or to one of several charges, in return for the dismissal of other charges; or it may mean that the defendant will plead guilty to the original criminal charge in return for a more lenient sentence. (Wikipedia)

Defendants are competent to waive counsel and plead guilty as long as they are capable of understanding the proceedings (Godinez v. Moran, U.S. Sup. Ct. 1993). (Nolo)

These fees push poor people to waive counsel, a right under the Sixth Amendment, and plead guilty, whether they committed a crime or not. In Michigan, the threat of paying the full cost of employing a public defender resulted in “misdemeanor defendants systematically waiving their right to counsel – at a rate of 95 percent in one county.” (counterpunch)

Whyte, who was not legally represented, was advised to consult a lawyer before deciding whether to plead guilty or not guilty. (Daily Mail)