What does it mean to “enter a guilty plea” in a criminal or traffic case?
A plea is a person’s formal response to a criminal or traffic charge. A person charged with a criminal or traffic offense is called the defendant. The defendant can choose from the pleas of guilty, not guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity, or no contest. Entering a plea refers to the judge’s act of formally noting a defendant’s plea, or “entering” it, in the court’s official file. If you enter a guilty plea, it means that you admit you committed the violation, offense, or crime with which you’ve been charged.
