Unless the prosecution kept open the possibility of reinstating the charges at a later date, then legally he HAS paid dues. More often than not, when a plea bargain is reached, some or all of the original charges are dropped and upon fulfilling his sentence, in the eyes of the law has paid his dues to society.
And often a plea bargain is made because the prosecution doubts they can either prove that charges or that prosecution would result in greater jail time.
Plea Bargain Basics: Negotiating a Lesser Crime | Nolo.com
A plea bargain is an agreement between a defendant and a prosecutor, in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest (nolo contendere) in exchange for an agreement by the prosecutor to drop one or more charges, reduce a charge to a less serious offense, or recommend to the judge a specific sentence acceptable to the defense.
As criminal courts become ever more crowded, prosecutors and judges alike feel increased pressure to move cases quickly through the system. Criminal trials can take days, weeks, or sometimes months, while guilty pleas can often be arranged in minutes. Also, the outcome of any given trial is usually unpredictable, whereas a plea bargain provides both prosecution and defense with some control over the result—hopefully, one that both can live with.
For these reasons and others, and despite its many critics, plea bargaining is very common. More than 90% of convictions come from negotiated pleas, which means less than 10% of criminal cases end up in trials. And though some commentators still view plea bargains as secret, sneaky arrangements that are antithetical to the people’s will, the federal government and many states have written rules that explicitly set out how plea bargains may be arranged and accepted by the court.
Complete story at - http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/the-basics-plea-bargain.html
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