con·fes·sion 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
◇ 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.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.