What does a plea of no contest mean?
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What does a plea of no contest mean?
Asked on September 1, 2018 under Criminal Law, New York
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
An no contst plea is a plea used in criminal proceedings. It is an alternative to pleading guilty or not guilty, whereby a defendant neither denies nor admits to committing the crime. This type of plea is also known as "nolo contendere". While a no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, it is treated as a conviction and as such it will show up on the defendant's criminal record. Even though a defendant typically has an automatic right to plead not guilty or guilty, most states require that the defendant obtain the court's permission to make such a plea. Further, the plea is not available in all states.Here is a link to an article that will explain further: https://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/criminal-law/criminal-law/no-contest-plea.htm
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