Declares to be guilty (8)
I believe the answer is:
convicts
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">declares to be guilty</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(I've seen this before)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is all the clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for convicts that I've seen before include "Jail inmates" , "They are in prison for crimes committed" , "Declares guilty" , "People serving a prison sentence" .)