• FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Not exactly. It’s more like asking the defendant, “Do we have to prove you are guilty, or are you going to save us the effort?”

    You are free to answer “Not guilty” even if you did it. It doesn’t mean “I’m innocent”, it means “I’m not admitting guilt”. In other words, “Prove it”.

    • LastYearsPumpkin@feddit.ch
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      1 year ago

      Close, it means - “I’m not admitting guilt under these specific circumstances.” They could be working out a plea deal with the prosecution for a specific sentence, or a dozen other things up to, and including the “prove it” gamble.