If you have been charged with a crime, there is something you should know about the most commonly asked legal question by people who have been accused of committing a crime: “Should I plead guilty or not guilty?”

While many people debate the pros and cons of pleading guilty or innocent, through my experience in Criminal Justice, I have learned that if you have committed acrime, it is always wise to plea innocent, regardless of the case.

In a courtroom, evidence is required; and this evidence must show beyond a shadow of a doubt that you committed the crime. While it depends on the crime–and there are some exceptions--pleading innocent to the crime can stall the procedures, as well as force the legal representatives to show proof of the crime for which you are accused.

In previous courtrooms, thousands of persons have accepted plea bargains or else committed guilty of crimes. Few of these people felt that they had no choice but to plea guilty or else accept a plea.

The fact is, many of these people were accused of a crime; and the courtrooms convicted these people on circumstantial evidence that was inconclusive. Thus, after the penalty was set, and the person was fined or put in jail, the courts later found that the prosecuted was in fact innocent.

Thus, no matter what your case happens to be, the best legal advice you can get is to plea not guilty and force the courts to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that you are in fact guilty under law.

If you have been convicted of a lesser crime, you should still adhere to this advice. It may help you to avoid paying hefty fines for parking and traffic violations by forcing the prosecution to procure evidence.

I think this is a pretty general view, though. There are plenty of times when it's absolutely advisable to plead guilty to a crime. Depending upon the case, it could get you a lighter sentence.