Confession

Definition - Noun
1  : an act of confessing
2  : an acknowledgment of a fact or allegation as true or proven
esp
: a written or oral statement by an accused party acknowledging the party's guilt (as by admitting commission of a crime)
compare admission declaration against interest at declaration self-incrimination
Courts differ on how a confession establishes the accused's guilt; for example, in some jurisdictions the confession has to establish all the necessary elements of the crime. In order to be admissible as evidence, a confession must be voluntary. A guilty plea is considered a judicial confession.



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Based on Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©2001.
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collateral estoppel

estoppel by judgment barring the relitigation of issues litigated by the same parties on a different cause of action


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