Legal Definitions - plea of release

A plea of release is a formal response made by an accused person in court to a criminal charge. The accused person can respond with "guilty," "not guilty," or "no contest."

Examples of other types of pleas include:

• Guilty plea: An accused person admits in court to having committed the charged offense.
• No-contest plea: A plea by which the defendant does not contest or admit guilt.
• Insanity plea: A plea that asserts the defendant was not mentally capable of understanding the nature of their actions when committing the offense.
• Negotiated plea: A plea agreed to by the defendant and prosecutor in a plea bargain.

These examples illustrate how an accused person can respond to a criminal charge in court. The plea of release is just one of several options available to them.