State v. Daniels

The majority today declines to decide whether an Alford1 plea would bar the defendant from asserting his innocence in any subsequent proceeding. See footnote 11 of the majority opinion. In fairness to criminal defendants who, everyday, and in very large numbers, enter Alford pleas to accept plea bargains while not admitting guilt, and for the sake of the criminal justice system, we should address this issue and not leave it in doubt. In this era *83of too much violent crime and the allocation of too few judicial resources to the criminal justice system, Alford pleas are essential.

The state…