Yes, it is.

If you plead guilty to an offence you shouldn't serve the same amount of time as someone who shows no remorse.

Also, included in those "plea bargains" are cautions, for children.

edit; I'm getting flagged but I should definitely mention that I'm intimately familiar with how the law can be for the underclass, I was an underclass and I have a laundry list of a criminal record from when I was a child.

> As many as 98% of charges end with plea bargains

That’s only a problem if in the majority of cases the person is in fact innocent. Otherwise that stat is red herring.