Types of pleas; procedure for entering plea.
1. A defendant may plead not guilty, guilty or, with the consent of the court, nolo contendere. The court may refuse to accept a plea of guilty.
2. If a plea of guilty is made in a written plea agreement, the agreement must be in substantially the form prescribed in NRS 174.063. If a plea of guilty is made orally, the court shall not accept such a plea or a plea of nolo contendere without first addressing the defendant personally and determining that the plea is made voluntarily with understanding of the nature of the charge and consequences of the plea.
3. With the consent of the court and the district attorney, a defendant may enter a conditional plea of guilty or nolo contendere, reserving in writing the right, on appeal from the judgment, to a review of the adverse determination of any specified pretrial motion. A defendant who prevails on appeal must be allowed to withdraw the plea.
4. The defendant may, in the alternative or in addition to any one of the pleas permitted by subsection 1, plead not guilty by reason of insanity. A plea of not guilty by reason of insanity must be entered not less than 21 days before the date set for trial. A defendant who has not so pleaded may offer the defense of insanity during trial upon good cause shown. Under such a plea or defense, the burden of proof is upon the defendant to establish his insanity by a preponderance of the evidence.
5. If a defendant refuses to plead or if the court refuses to accept a plea of guilty or if a defendant corporation fails to appear, the court shall enter a plea of not guilty.
6. A defendant may not enter a plea of guilty pursuant to a plea bargain for an offense punishable as a felony for which:
(a) Probation is not allowed; or
(b) The maximum prison sentence is more than 10 years,
Ê unless the plea bargain is set forth in writing and signed by the defendant, the defendant’s attorney, if he is represented by counsel, and the prosecuting attorney.
Last modified: February 25, 2006