blind plea is the type of plea that is most similar to a guilty plea.
blind plea is the type of plea that is most similar to a guilty plea.
which type of plea is most similar to a guilty plea?
blind plea
pleading guilty typically results in a more lenient punishment for the defendant; it is thus a type of mitigating factor in sentencing. in a plea bargain a defendant makes a deal with the prosecution or court to plead guilty in exchange for a more lenient punishment, or for related charges against them to be dropped. a "blind plea" is a guilty plea entered with no plea agreement in place. plea bargains are particularly common in the united states. other countries use a more limited form of plea bargaining. in the united kingdom and germany, guidelines state that only the timing of the guilty plea can affect the reduction in the punishment, with an earlier plea resulting in a greater reduction.
plea
the case was then appealed to the u.s. supreme court. supreme court justice byron white wrote the majority decision, which held that for the plea to be accepted, the defendant must have been advised by a competent lawyer who was able to inform the individual that his best decision in the case would be to enter a guilty plea. the court ruled that the defendant can enter such a plea "when he concludes that his interests require a guilty plea and the record strongly indicates guilt." the court allowed the guilty plea with a simultaneous protestation of innocence only because there was enough evidence to show that the prosecution had a strong case for a conviction and the defendant was entering such a plea to avoid this possible sentencing. the court went on to note that even if the defendant could have shown that he would not have entered a guilty plea "but for" the rationale of receiving a lesser sentence, the plea itself would not have been ruled invalid. as evidence existed that could have supported alford's conviction, the supreme court held that his guilty plea was allowable while the defendant himself still maintained that he was not guilty.
alford plea