ELi5: What exactly is an “Alford Plea Deal” and how might it be beneficial for a defendant? What are the pros/cons of accepting such a deal, and how might it beneficial?

Question

ELi5: What exactly is an “Alford Plea Deal” and how might it be beneficial for a defendant? What are the pros/cons of accepting such a deal, and how might it beneficial?

In: 20

Answer 1

An Alford plea, or a plea of “no contest”, is a form of guilty plea where you do not dispute the state’s case against you, but you also admit to no wrongdoing (and thus are not forced to allocute your involvement in the crime.) This is useful (to a point) in cases where you are (as far as you know) factually innocent of the crime, but know you can’t prove so in court; an Alford plea allows you to accept a plea bargain from the prosecution without having to testify to a false narrative of your involvement in the crime.

An Alford plea allows you to avoid the penalty of going to trial and losing, without forcing you to perjure yourself and testify to crimes you didn’t actually commit.