An
Alford plea (also called a
Kennedy plea in West Virginia, an
Alford guilty plea, and the
Alford doctrine) in United States law is a
guilty plea in
criminal court, whereby a
defendant in a criminal case does not admit to the criminal act and asserts
innocence. In entering an Alford plea, the defendant admits that the
evidence the prosecution has would be likely to persuade a judge or jury to find the defendant guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt.