Rule 12

 

Massachusetts Criminal Procedure Rule 12: Pleas and Withdrawals of Pleas

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(a) Entry of Pleas.

(1) Pleas Which May Be Entered and by Whom. A defendant may plead not guilty, or guilty, or with the consent of the judge, nolo contendere, to any crime with which the defendant has been charged and over which the court has jurisdiction. A plea of guilty or nolo contendere shall be received only from the defendant personally except pursuant to the provisions of Rule 18. Pleas shall be received in open court and the proceedings shall be recorded. If a defendant refuses to plead or if the judge refuses to accept a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, a plea of not guilty shall be entered.

(2) Admission to Sufficient Facts. In a District Court, a defendant may, after a plea of not guilty, admit to sufficient facts to warrant a finding of guilty.

(3) Acceptance of Plea of Guilty, a Plea of Nolo Contendere, or an Admission to Sufficient Facts. A judge may refuse to accept a plea of guilty or a plea of nolo contendere or an admission to sufficient facts. The judge shall not accept such a plea or admission without first determining that it is made voluntarily with an understanding of the nature of the charge and the consequences of the plea or admission.

(b) Plea Conditioned Upon an Agreement.

(1) Formation of Agreement; Substance. The defendant and defense counsel or the defendant when acting pro se may engage in discussions with the prosecutor as to any recommendation to be made to a judge or any other action to be taken by the prosecutor upon the tender of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a charged offense or to a lesser included offense. The agreement of the prosecutor may include:

(A) Charge Concessions.

(B) Recommendation of a particular sentence or type of punishment with the specific understanding that the recommendation shall not be binding upon the court.

(C) Recommendation of a particular sentence or type of punishment which may also include the specific understanding that the defendant shall reserve the right to request a lesser sentence or different type of punishment.

(D) A general recommendation of incarceration without regard to a specific term or institution.

(E) Recommendation of a particular disposition other than incarceration.

(F) Agreement not to oppose the request of the defendant for a particular sentence or other disposition.

(G) Agreement to make no recommendation or to take no action.

(H) Any other type of agreement involving recommendations or actions.

(2) Notice of Agreement. If defense counsel or the prosecutor has knowledge of any agreement that was made contingent upon the defendant's plea, he or she shall inform the judge thereof prior to the tender of the plea.

(c) Guilty Plea Procedure. After being informed that the defendant intends to plead guilty or nolo contendere:

(1) Inquiry. The judge shall inquire of the defendant or defense counsel as to the existence of and shall be informed of the substance of any agreements that are made which are contingent upon the plea.

(2) Recommendation as to Sentence or Disposition.

(A) Contingent Pleas. If there were sentence recommendations contingent upon the tender of the plea, the judge shall inform the defendant that the court will not impose a sentence that exceeds the terms of the recommendation without first giving the defendant the right to withdraw the plea.

(B) Disposition Requested by Defendant. In a District Court, if the plea is not conditioned on a sentence recommendation by the prosecutor, the defendant may request that the judge dispose of the case on any terms within the court's jurisdiction. The judge shall inform the defendant that the court will not impose a disposition that exceeds the terms of the defendant's request without first giving the defendant the right to withdraw the plea.

(3) Notice of Consequences of Plea. The judge shall inform the defendant on the record, in open court:

(A) that by a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or an admission to sufficient facts, the defendant waives the right to trial with or without a jury, the right to confrontation of witnesses, the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and the privilege against self-incrimination;

(B) where appropriate, of the maximum possible sentence on the charge, and where appropriate, the possibility of community parole supervision for life; of any different or additional punishment based upon subsequent offense or sexually dangerous persons provisions of the General Laws, if applicable; where applicable, that the defendant may be required to register as a sex offender; and of the mandatory minimum sentence, if any, on the charge;

(C) that if the defendant is not a citizen of the United States, the guilty plea, plea of nolo contendere or admission may have the consequence of deportation, exclusion of admission, or denial of naturalization.

(4) Tender of Plea. The defendant's plea or admission shall then be tendered to the court.

(5) Hearing on Plea; Acceptance. The judge shall conduct a hearing to determine the voluntariness of the plea or admission and the factual basis of the charge.

(A) Factual Basis for Charge. A judge shall not accept a plea of guilty unless the judge is satisfied that there is a factual basis for the charge. The failure of the defendant to acknowledge all of the elements of the factual basis shall not preclude a judge from accepting a guilty plea. Upon a showing of cause the tender of the guilty plea and the acknowledgment of the factual basis of the charge may be made on the record at the bench.

(B) Acceptance. At the conclusion of the hearing the judge shall state the court's acceptance or rejection of the plea or admission.

(C) Sentencing. After acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere or an admission, the judge may proceed with sentencing.

(6) Refusal to Accept an Agreed Sentence Recommendation. If the judge determines that the court will impose a sentence that will exceed an agreed recommendation for a particular sentence or type of punishment under subdivision (b)(1)(C) of this rule, an agreed recommendation for a particular disposition other than incarceration under subdivision (b)(1)(E), or a request for disposition in a District Court by the defendant under subdivision (c)(2)(B), after having informed the defendant as provided in subdivision (c)(2) that the court would not do so, the judge shall, on the record, advise the defendant personally in open court or on a showing of cause, in camera, that the judge intends to exceed the terms of the plea recommendation or request for disposition and shall afford the defendant the opportunity to then withdraw the plea or admission. The judge may indicate to the parties what sentence the judge would impose.

(d) Deleted.

(e) Availability of Criminal Record and Presentence Report. The criminal record of the defendant shall be made available. Upon the written motion of either party made at the tender of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, the presentence report as described in subdivision (d)(2) of Rule 28 shall be made available to the prosecutor and counsel for the defendant for inspection. In extraordinary cases, the judge may except from disclosure parts of the report which are not relevant to a proper sentence, diagnostic opinion which might seriously disrupt a program of rehabilitation, sources of information obtained upon a promise of confidentiality, or any other information which, if disclosed, might result in harm, physical or otherwise, to the defendant or other persons. If the report is not made fully available, the portions thereof which are not disclosed shall not be relied upon in determining sentence. No party may make any copy of the presentence report.

(f) Inadmissibility of Pleas, Offers of Pleas, and Related Statements. Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, evidence of a plea of guilty, or a plea of nolo contendere, or an admission, or of an offer to plead guilty or nolo contendere or an admission to the crime charged or any other crime, later withdrawn, or statements made in connection with, and relevant to, any of the foregoing pleas or offers, is not admissible in any civil or criminal proceedings against the person who made the plea or offer. However, evidence of a statement made in connection with, and relevant to, a plea of guilty, later withdrawn, or a plea of nolo contendere, or an admission or an offer to plead guilty or nolo contendere or an admission to the crime charged or any other crime, is admissible in a criminal proceeding for perjury if the statement was made by the defendant under oath, on the record, and in the presence of counsel, if any.

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