the vast majority of defendants plead guilty before trial because (1) there's a shit-ton of evidence of guilt and (2) they'll get a much better deal than going

the vast majority of defendants plead guilty before trial because (1) there's a shit-ton of evidence of guilt and (2) they'll get a much better deal than going to trial. If you know you're going down, why not plead to three years now instead of five after trial? Invoking your right to counsel as early as possible solves #1. I know the media (and prosecutors themselves) like to portray prosecutors as zealous, aggressive advocates who go after crimes no matter how thing -- but the reality is that as a group they are political, timid and ass-covering. They only bring cases they know they can win because a loss is extremely embarrassing and sometimes career ending. And not coincidentally, this is part of the prosecutor's ethical obligation: to only bring cases where there is a ton of evidence of guilt.