Criminal
Jul. 20, 2018
The right to plead no contest in criminal cases
The San Francisco court needs to change its practice of disallowing no-contest pleas. It’s the fair, humane and just way to allow a person the dignity of entering a plea when the accused simply seeks to end the criminal prosecution.
Yali Corea-Levy
Deputy Public Defender
San Francisco Public Defender's Office
Email: yali.corea-levy@sfgov.org
California law provides for three common pleas in a criminal case: not guilty, guilty and no contest. In the San Francisco courts, however, an accused is not given the opportunity to plead no contest. Witness the following colloquy from a case heard last month:
THE COURT: Sir, what is your plea to violating Penal Code Section 487(a) as a felony, as alleged in Count II of the amended information?
$95
Or access this article for $45
(Purchase provides 7-day access to this article. Printing, posting or downloading is not allowed.)
Already a subscriber?
Sign In