plea inquiry

A plea inquiry is a series of questions that you must answer before you can plead guilty. The purpose of the plea inquiry is to show the judge that:

• you are pleading guilty voluntarily and that no one has pressured or forced you to plead guilty
• you understand what it means to plead guilty, for example, that you are giving up your right to a trial and to have the Crown prove the charges against you beyond a reasonable doubt
• you are aware of what can happen to you if you plead guilty, for example, that you could go to jail and get a permanent criminal record