A convicted person who wishes to change their plea to guilty after conviction by jury and sentencing faces a conceptual difficulty: the plea has been overtaken by the jury's verdict. Even if such a change were possible, there is no utilitarian value in a guilty plea after a fully contested trial, and a post-sentence admission of guilt does not demonstrate sentencing error. The finality of judicial proceedings precludes reopening a sentencing decision on the basis of a belated admission of guilt motivated by self-interest in reducing sentence.
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