I have a relative whose case involves charges brought against him at a state run facility. the initial charges included rape, carnal knowledge of a juvenile, and some other things. the charges dont include alot of what he was initially charged with. the case has been pending now for 3 years. a private investigator was hired who reassured us, (my family and i) that the prosecution wouldn't have enough evidence to convict him based solely on his findings. with all that, a plea bargain has been issued. i believe the plea is 14 months in jail as opposed to having a jury trial. so my family member says he's innocent and we believe he's innocent. the judge, private investigator, lawyer for my relative, and the prosecutor are all close-knit friends in a small town. so my relative feels like he has to take the plea just because of the affore mentioned. he feels like he's not being treated fairly because everyone stands to win so to speak. the case has basically boiled down to his word against the accuser. so my question is how can my relative fight something like this? if he's innocent what's the best thing he can do? he doesnt have any faith in his lawyer and neither do my family and i. we were too scared to switch to another lawyer this late in the game. we're going to court on monday, 2/22/10. we feel powerless. the lawyer basically bullied my relative into accepting the plea bargain, telling him he couldnt call or consult with his family members at the time when they wanted him to agree to a plea. they said it was mandatory for him to accept within like a day or two, and that was several weeks ago, with the court date this monday. he was also told that he would do jail time whether he's innocent or not based on the nature of the crime. the whole "innocent or not thing" really bothers me. I thought things were in place within our judicial system to counteract" partnerships", and "best friends for life", whether in a small louisiana town or a large urban city.