If you plead guilty to a crime it means that you accept that you committed the crime and will accept the facts as stated by the police or other judicial body. If you plead not guilty it means you deny committing the crime. This may mean that you are not sure whether you committed the crime and want the court to hear the evidence to decide whether or not you are guilty. After pleading guilty or not guilty you must decide whether you want a bench trial or a jury trial. A bench trial takes place before a judge only, no jury is involved. The judge is both the fact-finder and the governer of questions of law and procedure. This means that the judge decides the verdict. A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or makes findings of fact, which then directs the actions of a