State v. Beckstead

In State v. Beckstead, 2006 UT 42, 140 P.3d 1288, the Court refused to require a judge taking a rule 11 plea from a defendant who had been drinking to follow any prescribed script in aid of ascertaining whether the alcohol had rendered the defendant incapable of entering a guilty plea. Id. The Court outlined, however, several general principles to assist judges who are faced with the defendant's possible drug impairment in a plea hearing. First among these is the injunction that a sentencing judge pursue a meaningful engagement with a defendant during the plea colloquy. Id. Such an engagement with a defendant may feature many different approaches to accomplishing the task of reaching a conclusion about a defendant's capability to enter a knowing and voluntary plea.