Re: CHAT: Speed cameras (was: Word usage in English dialects)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas R. Wier" <trwier@...>

> Typically, when one
> speeds (and we simply call them "speeders") and gets caught, the
> policeman writes you a ticket, and you have the opportunity to
> contest it in court. There are three options:  "innocent", "guilty",
> and "no contest".
In North Carolina, at least, there's also something called a "prayer for
judgement", which can be asked for and granted by the judge. As I understand it
(and I may only understand it in vague terms), it's roughly the same as a
suspended sentence: it's a guilty plea/verdict, but punishment is postponed
until such time as you are convicted a second time. If a certain time passes,
the conviction is made, if not null and void, at least irrelevant. IME, judges
are only generally willing to grant a prayer for judgement for first offenses.




Paul