• broface@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    Pleading is essentially asking the defendant, “did you do it?”

    Edit for those who want to skip the comment chain:

    “Did you do it?”

    Yes == Guilty

    No == Not Guilty

    Neither == No contest

    • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Not exactly. It’s more like asking the defendant, “Do we have to prove you are guilty, or are you going to save us the effort?”

      You are free to answer “Not guilty” even if you did it. It doesn’t mean “I’m innocent”, it means “I’m not admitting guilt”. In other words, “Prove it”.

      • LastYearsPumpkin@feddit.ch
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        8 months ago

        Close, it means - “I’m not admitting guilt under these specific circumstances.” They could be working out a plea deal with the prosecution for a specific sentence, or a dozen other things up to, and including the “prove it” gamble.