the.com/plea
A confession dressed as a bargain, where guilt buys mercy at a steep discount.
means A plea is an earnest appeal or request, or in law the formal statement a defendant makes in answer to a charge.
from From Old French 'plait' or 'plaid' — a lawsuit, agreement, or discussion — which traces back to Latin 'placitum,' literally 'that which has been decided' or 'pleased,' the past participle of 'placere,' to please. So a plea began life as a settled matter that found favor, and only later softened into the act of begging for one.
- trial dodge
- Over 90 percent of US cases end in plea deals
- old roots
- From Latin placitum, meaning that which pleases
- nolo loophole
- Pleading no contest admits punishment without admitting guilt
- mercy math
- Defendants often plead guilty to avoid harsher trial sentences