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List of U.S. states by Alford plea usage

North Carolina v. Alford (1970)
Main article: Alford plea

This list of U.S. states by Alford plea usage documents usage of the form of guilty plea known as the Alford plea in each of the U.S. states in the United States. An Alford plea (also referred to as Alford guilty plea[1][2][3] and Alford doctrine[4][5][6]) in the law of the United States is a guilty plea in criminal court,[7][8][9] where the defendant does not admit the act and asserts innocence.[10][11][12] Under the Alford plea, the defendant admits that sufficient evidence exists with which the prosecution could likely convince a judge or jury to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.[4][13][14][15][16]

The Alford plea arose out of the 1970 case before the Supreme Court of the United States, North Carolina v. Alford, where the Court ruled that the defendant could be allowed to enter a guilty plea while still maintaining innocence.[12] According to the United States Department of Justice, in 2000 a greater percentage of State inmates made use of the plea than Federal inmates.[17] The state courts of Indiana, Michigan, and New Jersey do not allow usage of the plea.[10] It has been used in other states, and in application of the plea process the courts require the plea to be of a voluntary nature and based on factual evidence.[7] The courts make an effort to determine defendants are entering the plea by their own choice, and that there is a factual basis for the plea; they accomplish this by questioning the defendant about their choice and the prosecution about the potential case against the defendant.[7] Once entered, the plea is treated as a standard guilty plea.[12]

  1. ^ Shepherd, Robert E. Jr. (November 2000). "Annual Survey of Virginia Law Article: Legal issues involving children". University of Richmond Law Review. 34. University of Richmond Law Review Association: 939.
  2. ^ "Regular Features: Discipline Corner: Disbarment follows four years of disciplinary action against Kalispell lawyer". The Montana Lawyer. 23. State Bar of Montana: 23. February 1998.
  3. ^ Huff, C. Ronald; Killias, Martin (2008). Wrongful Conviction. Temple University Press. pp. 143, 289. ISBN 978-1-59213-645-2.
  4. ^ a b Daly, Kathleen (1996). Gender, Crime, and Punishment. Yale University Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-300-06866-2.
  5. ^ Thompson, Norma (2006). Unreasonable Doubt. University of Missouri Press. p. 38. ISBN 0-8262-1638-2.
  6. ^ Neighbors, Ira; Anne Chambers; Ellen Levin; Gila Nordman; Cynthia Tutrone (2002). Social Work and the Law. Routledge. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-7890-1548-8.
  7. ^ a b c Scheb, John (2008). Criminal Procedure. Wadsworth Publishing. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-0-495-50386-6.
  8. ^ Anderson, James F. (2002). Criminal Justice and Criminology: Concepts and Terms. University Press of America. p. 7. ISBN 0-7618-2224-0.
  9. ^ Wild, Susan Ellis (2006). Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Webster's New World. p. 21. ISBN 0-7645-4210-9.
  10. ^ a b Bibas, Stephanos (2003). "Harmonizing Substantive Criminal Law Values and Criminal Procedure: The Case of Alford and Nolo Contendere Pleas". Cornell Law Review. 88 (6). doi:10.2139/ssrn.348681.
  11. ^ Champion, Dean J. (1998). Dictionary of American Criminal Justice: Key Terms and Major Supreme Court Cases. Routledge. p. 7. ISBN 1-57958-073-4.
  12. ^ a b c Gardner, Thomas J.; Terry M. Anderson (2009). Criminal Evidence: Principles and Cases. Wadsworth Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-495-59924-1.
  13. ^ Fisher, George (2003). Plea Bargaining's Triumph: A History of Plea Bargaining in America. Stanford University Press. p. 319. ISBN 0-8047-5135-8.
  14. ^ Davidson, Michael J. (1999). A Guide to Military Criminal Law. US Naval Institute Press. p. 56. ISBN 1-55750-155-6.
  15. ^ Raymond, Walter John (1992). Dictionary of Politics: Selected American and Foreign Political and Legal Terms. Brunswick Publishing Corporation. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-55618-008-8.
  16. ^ Judge, Michael T.; Stephen R. McCullough (November 2009). "Criminal law and procedure". University of Richmond Law Review. 44. University of Richmond Law Review Association: 339.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference doj2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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