Entering a plea of no contest means that you are not contesting the charges that have been filed against you. A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, and it is not a declaration of innocence. It instead indicates to the court that you are not going to fight the charges, but that you also implicitly acknowledge that there is enough evidence that a jury could convict you if the jury believed the prosecution’s version of the evidence.
Procedurally, a no contest plea has the same effect as a guilty plea. Under Utah law, a judge can impose the same sentence (jail, prison, probation, fines, etc.) for a no contest plea as could be imposed under a guilty plea or a verdict of guilty by a jury at trial.
There are some circumstances where it can be advantageous to enter a plea of no contest. But such circumstances are generally the exception rather than the rule. In some instances, a no contest plea could actually result in problems later on. Your lawyer will help you determine what legal strategy will be best in your case.
By default, our Constitution places the burden of proof on the prosecution, and requires that the prosecution present sufficient evidence to convince a jury, unanimously and beyond a reasonable doubt, that you committed acts supporting each element of each offense charged. Even though a plea of no contest is not an admission of guilt, it still relieves the prosecution of its burden of proof and results in a criminal conviction.