What is the legal term for admitting guilt and avoiding a trial?

The legal term for admitting guilt and avoiding a trial is a plea bargain. A plea bargain is an agreement between a defendant and a prosecutor, where the defendant agrees to plead guilty to a lesser charge or to one of multiple charges in exchange for a lighter sentence or other concessions. This process helps to alleviate the court's caseload and enables the defendant to avoid the uncertainty and potential harsher penalties associated with a trial.

Other terms mentioned, such as a plea deal and guilty plea, may be related but do not fully capture the comprehensive nature of a plea bargain. A guilty plea specifically refers to the admission of guilt itself, while a plea deal often implies a negotiated agreement, which generally falls under the broader category of a plea bargain. A sentencing agreement is more focused on the terms of sentencing after a guilty plea has been entered, rather than the negotiation and admission process before trial.