Legal Definitions - guilty plea

A guilty plea is a formal admission made by an accused person in court that they committed the charged offense. It is one of the three possible responses to a criminal charge, the other two being "not guilty" and "no contest."

For example, if someone is charged with theft and they admit in court that they stole the item, they are entering a guilty plea.

A guilty plea is usually part of a plea bargain, where the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence or other concessions from the prosecutor. However, the plea must be made voluntarily and only after the accused has been informed of and understands their rights.

If a defendant enters a guilty plea, it has the same effect as a guilty verdict and conviction after a trial on the merits. This means that the defendant will be sentenced for the crime they admitted to committing.

Other types of pleas include:

• Not guilty plea: An accused person's formal denial in court of having committed the charged offense.
• No contest plea: A plea by which the defendant does not contest or admit guilt.
• Conditional plea: A plea of guilty or no contest entered with the court's approval and the government's consent, the defendant reserving the right to appeal any adverse determinations on one or more pretrial motions.