Entering a Plea<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\nDuring the arraignment, you will be asked to enter a plea. We have already covered guilty and not guilty, but you can also enter a no-contest plea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Entering a guilty plea for a felony charge, you are asking the judge to open up the next stage of the sentencing procedure – although minor crimes can be sentenced at an arraignment, felony charges generally cannot due to their seriousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are entering a not guilty plea, you are throwing the challenge to the prosecutors to prove that you did in fact commit a crime and that they need to bring evidence to charge you. This will extend the length of your pending time, but that is in the interest of having a fair trial and making sure that people properly consider your case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are entering a no-contest plea, you can say that the prosecution has all the evidence it needs to show that you committed the crime but you are denying that you actually did it. This will be treated as a guilty plea by the courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you have entered your plea, you will either be held on reprimand, allowed to go free without financial bail (unlikely in the case of a felony charge), or given the opportunity to get bail. All three of these situations will extend the period in which you are considering pending a felony charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As your trial date is set, you have to wait until your preliminary hearing to find out if you are able to escape your charge pending sign on a background check.<\/p>\n\n\n