Can You Change Your Plea In Criminal Court?
Pursuant to the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, all people accused of crimes have the right to due process of law, including a fair trial in which they have the right to make an informed decision about whether to plead guilty or not guilty. The vast majority of defendants, at least 94 percent, plead guilty. They usually do this because it will result in a lesser sentence than if they had pleaded not guilty and then been convicted at trial. Prosecutors often offer plea deals to encourage defendants to plead guilty, because every trial for which the prosecution must prepare costs the state a lot of resources, especially if a public defender is representing the defendant. Furthermore, the unsustainably high caseloads that public defenders bear is another reason that the state is so keen to offer plea deals. There is room for debate about the line between offering defendants a lenient sentence through a plea deal and pressuring them to plead guilty when this would mean a felony charge on their record and the loss of voting rights. If you have pleaded not guilty to a crime but are thinking of changing your plea to guilty, contact a Pittsburgh criminal defense lawyer.
You Have the Chance to Change Your Plea to Guilty Any Time Before Your Case Goes to Trial
If you plead guilty, the next step is sentencing, but if you plead not guilty, your case proceeds to trial. The pretrial phase usually lasts several months, during which your lawyer and the prosecutor exchange information about evidence, and they might even file motions in court about which evidence to include at the trial and which evidence to suppress. As more evidence comes to light, you might decide that it is unlikely that the jury will acquit you; your own lawyer might even question whether it is possible for a jury to have reasonable doubt about your guilt. Therefore, you have the chance to change your plea to guilty any time from when you originally entered a plea until your trial begins.
In the News
Several months ago, Mimi Frost and Jacob Weight were charged with multiple felony counts related to the abuse of their six-year-old daughter. They allegedly kept her in a dog crate with zip ties on her wrists for long periods of time and withheld food. Originally, both parents pleaded not guilty, and the preparations for their trials began; Frost’s trial was to begin first, on December 9, but on December 3, she withdrew her not guilty plea and entered a plea of guilty. She could face a sentence of between 50 and 100 years in prison. Early in her case, prosecutors offered her a plea deal, and she accepted it. As of December 20, Weight maintains his plea of not guilty.
Contact Gary E. Gerson About Criminal Defense Cases
A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges and are considering changing your plea to guilty. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.
Source:
cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/fayette-county-mimi-frost-accused-locking-daughter-in-cage-pleads-guilty/
