Under criminal law, what is the difference between admissions and confessions?

Answer 1

I would agree somewhat with Aggie, but I think he's confusing a "stipulation" (where both sides agree to the same facts) with "admission."
An "admission" is any statement by a party, usually that is against the party's interest. "Admissions" do not necessarily constitute an admission by a party (including the criminal defendant) that they are guilty or liable, but can constitute evidence of such. Admissions are generally exceptions to the "hearsay" rule, which prevent testimony about out of court statements offered for the truth of the matter asserted.

A "stipulation" is a fact both sides in litigation have agreed is true (Aggie's explanation)
A "confession" is a statement, usually in writing, and usually to a police officer, that the defendant committed a crime. For example:

Imagine a man charged with breaking into a home -- burglary.

An admission: Neighbor of the man asks the man the next day about his brand new Rolex. The man says: "Oh, well, I just 'picked it up' last night!"


A confession: The man is arrested, and signs a paper saying "On March 15, 2006 at 11:35, I broke the window in 742 Evergreen Terrace, entered the house without the owner's permission, and took property inside, including a new men's Rolex watch."

A stipuation: Before going to trial, the parties stipulate that the man did not own a Rolex watch on February 1, 2006, but did own a Rolex watch on March 18, 2006.
(The parties could also stipulate that the streetlight was out; that at the time of the crime, it was dark and there was no moon, that the defendant's fingerprints were or were not found at the scene, etc.)

Answer 2

Admissions are things that both sides agree to as being facts. They are a way of streamlining the trial and narrowing down the focus to the facts that are in dispute. By admitting to certain things, a defendant can often avoid having it brought up in the trial or not spend a lot of time on it when it is brought up. And it saves a lot of attorney time (think $$s).

A confession is an admission of guilt to the crime and can avoid a trial all together.

Answer 3

What is the difference between Admission and Confession?
• Both confession, as well as admission, is a source of evidence in a court of law
• Confession is acceptance of guilt in a crime or wrong doing while admission is the acknowledgment of a statement or a fact
• Admission is used mostly in civil cases while confession is used mostly in criminal cases
• An accused can retract from confession made earlier, but retraction from admission is not possible
• Confession is made by the accused while admission can be made by others also
• Admission of guilt in the presence of a Father, in a church, is confession

Answer 4

OJ Simpson