ABSTRACT
There has been considerable interest in the various pressures to plead guilty which may be brought to bear on defendants in criminal proceedings. Problems only arise when the juvenile may be legally guilty, but believes himself to be factually innocent. There are two related reasons why an innocent person may plead guilty. First, there may be peer pressures not to ‘grass’ on others, and to be prepared to ‘take the rap’. The second, and more pervasive, pressure to plead guilty derives not so much from fear but from some sense of loyalty to one’s mates, irrespective of what they have done. Bargains between the police and young defendants are usually kept; charges are dropped if he pleads guilty to the rest. Even when a custodial disposition is likely, the majority of guilty defendants will plead guilty precisely because they are guilty.
