In criminal proceedings, which type of plea is not admissible as evidence against the defendant?

• A. Nolo contendere plea
• B. Guilty plea
• C. Not guilty plea
• D. Deferred plea

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that pleas and the negotiations around them are protected from being used as proof in later cases. Under this rule, statements made during plea negotiations and certain types of pleas themselves aren’t admissible to show the defendant’s guilt or to prove the underlying facts in criminal or civil proceedings.

A no contest (nolo contendere) plea falls directly under this protection. It’s a type of plea in which the defendant does not admit guilt, yet it’s treated the same for evidentiary purposes as a guilty plea when it comes to whether it can be used as evidence in later proceedings. Because of that protective rule, a nolo contendere plea cannot be introduced as evidence against the defendant.

Guilty pleas, not guilty pleas, and deferred dispositions aren’t singled out by the same specific evidentiary bar in this context. The rule focuses on the no contest plea as a form that is not admissible, along with plea negotiations, to keep the bargaining process and admissions from dictating outcomes in other cases.