What is the difference between a plea of not guilty and a plea of nolo contendere?

A plea of not guilty is a defendant’s response to criminal charges in which they deny committing the crime. When pleading not guilty, the defendant puts forth the presumption of innocence and forces the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are guilty of the crime. In contrast, a plea of nolo contendere is an admission of guilt in which a defendant agrees that the prosecution has enough evidence to prove their guilt in court. However, by opting for a nolo contendere, the defendant does not admit to any criminal conduct and does not agree to the facts of the case. Instead, they simply accept the punishment that comes with the plea. In Kansas, a plea of nolo contendere can be used in drug crimes law cases. Generally, when a defendant pleads nolo contendere, the court will still find them guilty of the crime and apply the punishments associated with the guilty plea. However, unlike a guilty plea, the nolo contendere plea cannot be used in a future case as an admission of guilt. Furthermore, in some cases, a nolo contendere plea may allow the defendant to avoid a criminal record and allows the court to consider alternative sentencing.

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What is the difference between a plea of not guilty and a plea of nolo contendere?

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