Common Law
By entering a plea of guilty, a defendant is admitting her guilt, thereby forfeiting her right to a trial. In such cases a defendant will simply be sentenced by the judge, though she may have to return to court at a later date for sentencing.
The concept of the plea is one of the major differences between criminal procedure under common law and procedure under the civil law system. Under common law, a plea of guilty by the defendant waives trial of the charged offences and the defendant may be sentenced immediately.