An Alford plea is a guilty plea in which a defendant maintains their innocence but admits that the prosecution has enough evidence to likely convict them. Named after the 1970 case North Carolina v. Alford, it allows a defendant to plead guilty to a lesser charge or receive a lighter sentence without admitting to the crime itself. The court treats it as a guilty plea, and the defendant accepts the consequences, such as conviction or sentencing, while still asserting they didn’t commit the offense. It’s often used to avoid the risk of a harsher penalty at trial.