What You Give Up

If a defendant pleads guilty, they participate in a guilty plea colloquy.  The colloquy ensures that a defendant understands their rights and wishes to waive those rights.  The colloquy also ensures that the individual is of sound mind to make a decision.  This includes a person's age, level of education, understanding of English (both written and spoken), and their psychiatric state.  In addition, it covers whether a person is on any illegal/legal drugs or under the influence of alcohol.  The court will make a determination if a person is capable of understanding what they are doing at the guilty plea.  

By pleading guilty, a defendant in Bucks County gives up many appeal rights, including their view that they were innocent.  They can only appeal based upon the legality of the sentence (i.e. it was too stringent beyond the legislative code), the jurisdiction of the court (i.e. the case happened in Chester County and it should not be adjudicated in Bucks County), the validity of the plea (i.e. they were forced to do so), and the services of their Bucks County criminal defense lawyer (i.e. they never met their lawyer and never spoke with them).  

Tough to Appeal After Pleading Guilty

The guilty plea colloquy seeks to eliminate all issues for appeal.  For example, a plea of guilty in open court with representation by an experienced and competent attorney is a confession of guilt and constitutes a waiver of all nonjurisdictional defects and defenses.  See Commonwealth v. Newman for more details.  The burden is on the defendant to show that they did not enter their plea in a knowing, voluntary and intelligent matter.  See Commonwealth v. Riley for more details.  But, during the colloquy, these issues are normally determined by intense questioning by the Bucks County judge.  

Thus, it is important to understand and be aware of the issues relating to a guilty plea.  It is hard to take it back.  Make sure you are only pleading guilty if, in fact, you are.