Difference Between Pleading Guilty And No Contest
If you are being charged with a crime, you can put in several types of pleas. You can plead guilty, not guilty or no contest, for example. Each of these pleas mean different things. If you plead innocent, you are saying that you didn't commit the crime with which you have been charged. It will be the job of the prosecutors to prove that you did do it. The other two types of pleas are similar but hold different meanings as to what happens with your case.
If you plead guilty, you agree that you committed the crime that you have been charged with. It also means that you will have a criminal record that shows that you committed the crime. You will not be able to appeal the conviction if you have plead guilty to it. A guilty plea is not recommended for you if there is any way to fight it. It can have lifelong consequences.
If you are charged with a crime, talk to an attorney before you plead guilty to anything. You should know your rights and your chances of beating the charge. Never give a confession that you committed a crime either. That is just as good as pleading guilty.
Pleading guilty means that you are more likely to have to spend some time in jail. There is a possibility that you won't, but the chances are, you will. A guilty plea can destroy your life so be sure that is what you want to do. If you fight it, you have, at least a chance of getting through it without a conviction.
A no contest plea is different in that you aren't agreeing that you committed the crime that you are charged with. No contest simply means that you aren't going to fight it for one reason or another. This allows others to see that you didn't fight it but that you claim that you are innocent. There may be several reasons that you might plead no contest when you are charged with a crime. You may do it because you don't want to put your family through a trial. There are hundreds of reasons why people do it, but the bottom line is, you will still be treated as though you committed the crime by the court.
You may be given jail time if you plead no contest. You will probably have some type of consequences to face up to if you plead no contest. That is because it doesn't give a solid answer as to whether you are guilty or not and the prosecution doesn't have a chance to prove that you did something wrong. It gives you a better chance at a decent life after you have "paid your dues".
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