A criminal defendant at arraignment can enter a plea of “no contest” which means the criminal defendant neither admits nor denies the criminal charges
The plea essentially is one of not guilty and requests the prosecution meet its burden of proving its case against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt.
Many courts will not allow a criminal defendant to plead no contest to a final plea before sentencing is pronounced. This is because an admission of guilt will allow the victim to pursue civil remedies against the defendant later.
