Legal Definitions - special plea

A special plea is a type of plea made by an accused person in response to a criminal charge. It is a formal response of "guilty," "not guilty," or "no contest."

Examples of other types of pleas include:

• Guilty plea: an admission of having committed the charged offense
• Not-guilty plea: a formal denial of having committed the charged offense
• No-contest plea: a plea by which the defendant does not contest or admit guilt
• Negotiated plea: a plea agreed to by a criminal defendant and the prosecutor in a plea bargain

For example, if someone is accused of stealing a car, they may enter a not-guilty plea if they believe they did not commit the crime. Alternatively, they may enter a guilty plea if they admit to stealing the car. A no-contest plea may be entered if they do not want to contest the charge but do not want to admit guilt. A negotiated plea may be entered if they agree to plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for a lighter sentence.