Should I plead guilty at arraignment?

The thing is, once you are charged with a crime, you are entitled to all sorts of Constitutional rights – like the right to a trial, the right to cross examination, and the right to present witnesses in your defense. Once you plead guilty at arraignment, however, all those rights go down the toilet – in fact, you’ll have to give up those rights on the record. It also means you’ve lost any opportunity to strike a plea deal. So, plead guilty (or nolo contendre/no contest) at your own risk.