Texas Defense Firm | March 13, 2025 | Criminal Defense
If you’re charged with and convicted of a crime, you could be sentenced to significant time in jail or prison and/or be ordered to pay a fine. You could lose your freedom or face financial debt, or both. Before you go to trial to defend yourself against your charges, there are other points where a decision you make could affect the consequences of your charges.
After you’re charged with a crime, you can respond to the government’s charges against you. At your arraignment hearing, you formally enter a plea. A plea is a defendant’s statement of whether or not they admit to the charges. Before entering a plea, you must thoroughly consider which plea is best for your case. There are several types of pleas, including a no-contest plea.
Defining a No-Contest Plea
A no-contest plea, derived from the Latin term “nolo contendere,” which means “I do not wish to contend,” may seem slightly contradictory. When a defendant pleads no contest to a criminal charge, they neither admit guilt nor proclaim their innocence. This plea will have the same legal effect as a guilty plea. A defendant’s no-contest plea informs the court that they accept the charges. In Texas, you must ask the court for permission to plead no contest. You don’t have a right to plead no contest.
You may be able to plea bargain with the prosecutors. Your attorney could reach an agreement for you to plead no contest to the charges, and in exchange, they may offer a lesser sentence. The prosecutor may even offer to charge you with a lesser offense if you agree to plead no contest.
Benefits and Consequences of a No-Contest Plea
There are a few benefits and consequences of pleading no contest.
By pleading no-contest and not admitting guilt of the offenses for which you’re alleged to have committed, you can avoid having an admission of guilt being used against you in a future civil case. If you’re alleged to have harmed someone, the harmed person(s) could file a civil lawsuit against you. When you admit guilt in your criminal case, the harmed person(s) could use your admission of guilt to prove your liability in civil court. But by pleading no-contest, even though you accept the penalties for being convicted, your plea can’t be used against you in civil court.
Additionally, you could escape the long, drawn-out process of defending yourself in a trial. After a trial, you may or may not be convicted of the charges. If you’re convicted, you’re at the judge’s mercy and the punishment they sentence you to. By pleading no contest, you avoid a trial’s uncertainty and time-consuming nature. You also potentially avoid costly legal fees to pay a criminal defense attorney to represent you up to and through the trial.
A potential downside of deciding to plead no contest is that the judge overseeing your case may not accept your plea. You may have gone through grueling consideration of how you wanted to plead and may have even accepted a plea bargain that would reduce the time you may be sentenced to serve in prison. A judge could reject your plea and the agreement prosecutors made with you, and now you’re back to square one.
Other Types of Pleas
The two other types of pleas are guilty and not guilty. A “not guilty” plea means you’re not admitting to the crimes you’re being charged with. This sets up a series of events that will culminate with a trial, where prosecutors will present their case against you, and you’ll have to defend yourself against the charges.
A “guilty” plea means you’re guilty of the crimes you’ve been charged with. This plea shouldn’t be confused with a no-contest plea. By pleading guilty, you’re accepting guilt and the punishment resulting from your conviction. With a no-contest plea, you’re only accepting punishment for your conviction while not admitting guilt.
Call a Defense Lawyer Right Now
If you’ve been charged with a crime in McKinney or Dallas and need legal help, contact our skilled criminal defense attorneys at Texas Defense Firm. Schedule a confidential consultation today to discuss your case and protect your rights.
We proudly serve Collin, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties and the surrounding areas. Visit our law offices at:
Texas Defense Firm – McKinney Office
7300 State Highway 121 Suite 400
McKinney TX 75070
(972) 369-0577
Available 24/7
Texas Defense Firm – Dallas Office
4100 Alpha Rd Suite 476
Dallas TX 75244
(469) 365-2228
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