You find yourself facing serious criminal charges, and you are worried that being convicted in a jury trial would lead to a substantial sentence. But you are then offered a plea deal, giving you a chance for a reduced sentence. You decide to plead guilty.
You understand that there may be options for post-conviction relief if you believe you were falsely convicted, but does that still apply if you decided to plead guilty? Or do you lose the chance for PCR because you have essentially admitted your own guilt?
Post-conviction relief may still be possible
Yes, you can still look into your PCR options, even if you decided to plead guilty. You just have to show good cause that you want to withdraw the guilty plea or that it should not have been submitted in the first place.
For instance, perhaps you think the court made significant mistakes, the prosecutor was not trustworthy or that police officers and investigators were lying. You only took the plea deal because of these lies or these mistakes, and you never would have done so otherwise.
Additionally, entering a guilty plea is something that you must do voluntarily, fully knowing what you are doing and understanding the deal that is being offered. If it was misrepresented to you, that could call the plea into question. You may also claim that it was an involuntary plea, perhaps due to poor legal counsel.
In other words, do not assume that you have no options just because you opted to plead guilty. You may still be able to use post-conviction relief, and it is crucial that you know what legal steps to take to explore all of your options.