Plea Bargains

Judges allow defendants to withdraw guilty pleas in only limited situations.

People are often unhappy with their lawyers' performance, particularly when it comes to plea bargaining. Learn what has to happen to win an argument that your lawyer's failures got you a bad outcome.

Some defendants maintain their innocence but want to plead guilty to avoid trial. Learn about their options here.

Defendants can sometimes plead guilty, and appeal nevertheless.

Many cynics argue that like laws and sausages, plea bargains are best made out of public view. Read on and make up your own mind.

Moving cases along, and making sure that there's room in the jails and prisons for truly bad actors, are two reasons why plea bargaining is part of the system.

Upon entering a guilty plea, the defendant admits to the charges and gives up their right to a trial and the right to make the prosecution prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.

The short answer is yes.

A nolo contendere plea—also called a no contest plea—is a lot like a guilty plea; it carries the same fundamental consequences but not the official admission of guilt.