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If the plea is no contest, the court shall not question the respondent, but, by some other means, shall obtain support for a finding that one or more of the statutory grounds alleged in the petition are true. The court shall state why a plea of no contest is appropriate.

The final type of plea, the Alford plea, is a type of guilty plea that allows the defendant to plead guilty yet still maintains his factual innocence.

In order to avoid a victim getting a windfall in civil court, a defendant can plead no contest. This allows the defendant to resolve their case in criminal court when they do not want to go to trial and protects them in civil court because the defendant is not admitting to the allegations.

You give up your right to a jury trial. There will definitely be a conviction. Your criminal record will include the no-contest plea, which reflects an element of guilt. Your conviction record can be referred to (but not used to prove guilt) if you stand trial for a criminal offense in the future.

The major difference between a plea of “guilty” and a plea of “no contest” is that, in the latter, the defendant is not actually admitting any guilt, but is instead indicating that he or she is not challenging the charges.

Plea Hearing - If a plea has not been entered and accepted by the court by the pre-trial hearing date, a plea hearing date is set within 45 days after the pre-trial hearing date. Trial If the defendant does not accept the plea offer, the case will proceed to trial approximately 45 days from the plea hearing date.