term:

Confession

confession n

1 : an act of confessing
2 : an acknowledgment of a fact or allegation as true or proven
;esp
: a written or oral statement by an accused party acknowledging the party's guilt (as by admitting commission of a crime) compare admission declaration against interest at declaration, self-incrimination NOTE: Courts differ on how a confession establishes the accused's guilt; for example, in some jurisdictions the confession has to establish all the necessary elements of the crime. In order to be admissible as evidence, a confession must be voluntary. A guilty plea is considered a judicial confession.

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.