Question: Which state is located north of this state whose Alford plea usage was reported by this press that earned 53 Pulitzer Prizes ?

text: List of U.S. states by Alford plea usage
Table -- U.S. states

List of U.S. states by Alford plea usage documents usage of the form of guilty plea known as the Alford plea in each of the U.S. states in the United States. An Alford plea (also referred to as Alford guilty plea and Alford doctrine) in the law of the United States is a guilty plea in criminal court, where the defendant does not admit the act and asserts innocence. Under the Alford plea the defendant admits that sufficient evidence exists with which the prosecution could likely convince a judge or jury to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The Alford plea arose out of the 1970 case before the Supreme Court of the United States, North Carolina v. Alford, where the Court ruled that the defendant could be allowed to enter a guilty plea while still maintaining innocence. According to the United States Department of Justice, in 2000 a greater percentage of State inmates made use of the plea than Federal inmates. The state courts of Indiana, Michigan, and New Jersey do not allow usage of the plea. It has been used in other states, and in application of the plea process the courts require the plea to be of a voluntary nature and based on factual evidence. The courts make an effort to determine defendants are entering the plea by their own choice, and that there is a factual basis for the plea; they accomplish this by questioning the defendant about their choice and the prosecution about the potential case against the defendant. Once entered, the plea is treated as a standard guilty plea.
Name Used Note
Alabama Yes With an Alford plea , [ defendant ] maintained his innocence but acknowledged there was enough evidence to convict him . Associated Press ( 2002 )
Alaska Yes In such a plea , the defendant does not admit guilt , but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to obtain a guilty verdict . Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ( 2009 )
Arizona Yes Alford plea , in which a defendant does not admit guilt but agrees he might be convicted by a jury . The Arizona Daily Star ( 2003 ) Under an Alford plea , a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence to obtain a conviction . The Arizona Daily Star ( 1999 )
Arkansas Yes Under North Carolina v. Alford , 400 U.S. 25 ( 1970 ) , a court may accept a guilty plea from a defendant who maintains his innocence , provided the court finds an adequate factual basis for the plea of guilty . Typically , a criminal defendant will utilize an Alford plea when he intelligently concludes that his interests require entry of a guilty plea in light of strong evidence of actual guilt with the intention of limiting the penalty to be imposed . Arkansas Supreme Court ( 2006 )
California Yes Alford plea described as a plea that allows the offender to admit that there is enough evidence to convict him at trial without admitting the offense of record . California State Library , research requested by California State Assembly member ( 2004 )
Colorado Yes [ Defendant ] took an Alford plea , which means he did n't admit guilt but agreed that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him . The Gazette ( 2007 ) [ Defendant ] entered an 'Alford plea ' ... under which he did not admit guilt but acknowledged that enough evidence exists to convict him . Rocky Mountain News ( 2006 )
Connecticut Yes A plea in a criminal case in which the defendant does not admit guilt , but agrees that the state has enough evidence against him or her to get a conviction . Allows the defendant to enter into a plea bargain with the state . If the judge accepts the Alford Plea , a guilty finding is made on the record . State of Connecticut Judicial Branch ( 2009 )
Delaware Yes We now hold , in the light of the Alford case , that the rules laid down in Brown and Muzzi are amended to eliminate the requirement that a defendant must admit his actual commission of the offense charged in order for the trial Judge to accept his plea ; if the other requirements laid down in Brown and Muzzi are met , the plea is to be accepted . Supreme Court of Delaware ( 1972 )
Florida Yes Supreme Court of Florida has held that a judgment of guilt entered upon an Alford plea is conclusive proof of guilt of the criminal offense charged . The Florida Bar v. Cohen ( 1991 )
Georgia Yes [ Defendant ] entered an 'Alford plea , ' in which he acknowledged there was enough evidence to find him guilty . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ( 2006 ) [ Defendant ] entered an 'Alford ' plea , in which a defendant does not admit guilt but asserts that a guilty plea is in his best interest . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ( 2004 )
Hawaii Yes While the Supreme Court has held that a guilty plea may be accepted by the trial court , and sentence may be pronounced thereon even where the defendant is unable or unwilling to admit to the commission of the act charged , North Carolina v. Alford , 400 U.S. 25 , 91 S.Ct . 160 , 27 L.Ed.2d 162 ( 1970 ) , we think that where a tendered plea of guilty is accompanied by a contemporaneous denial of the acts constituting the crime charged , a searching inquiry addressed to the defendant personally , to ensure the defendant 's complete understanding of the finality of his guilty plea if accepted , should be conducted by the trial court before accepting the plea . Only then , and only after satisfying itself that there is a strong factual basis for the plea , ought the trial court to accept the plea . Supreme Court of Hawaii ( 1980 )
Idaho Yes Although an Alford plea allows a defendant to plead guilty amid assertions of innocence , it does not require a court to accept those assertions . The sentencing court may , of necessity , consider a broad range of information , including the evidence of the crime , the defendant 's criminal history and the demeanor of the defendant , including the presence or absence of remorse . Idaho Court of Appeals , State of Idaho v. Howry ( 1995 )
Illinois Yes Alford plea , in which [ defendant ] conceded that a judge or jury shown the evidence would probably find him guilty . Chicago Tribune ( 2008 ) Alford plea - under which a defendant acknowledges there is enough evidence for a conviction without admitting wrongdoing . The Chicago Sun-Times ( 2006 )
Indiana No The Supreme Court of Indiana has held that judges may not accept guilty pleas accompanied by protestations of innocence . The court suggested that Alford pleas risk being unintelligent , involuntary , and inaccurate . Another reason for the Indiana rule is that Alford pleas undercut public respect for the justice system . Cornell Law Review ( 2003 )
Iowa Yes In an Alford plea , a defendant does n't admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a jury to convict him . Associated Press ( 2009 ) In an Alford plea , a defendant does not admit guilt , but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him at trial . Associated Press ( 2002 )
Kansas Yes An Alford plea is a plea to a criminal charge but without admitting to its commission , i.e. , to the truth of the charge and every material fact therein . The defendant may accomplish this in two ways : by affirmatively protesting innocence or by simply refusing to admit the acts constituting the charge
Kentucky Yes In an Alford plea , a defendant does n't admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a conviction . The Kentucky Post ( 2007 ) In an Alford plea , a defendant does not admit guilt but concedes there is enough evidence for conviction . Lexington Herald-Leader ( 2006 )
Louisiana Yes Under an Alford plea , a defendant maintains his innocence , but concedes he would likely be convicted if his case went to trial . The court treats the case as a guilty plea . The Advocate ( 1999 ) In an Alford plea , the defendant does not admit he committed a crime , but believes it is in his best interest to plead guilty . The Advocate ( 1999 )
Maine Yes Alford plea , which allows her to plead guilty to the state 's evidence while continuing , for the record , to maintain her innocence . Bangor Daily News ( 1998 ) The defendants entered what is technically called an 'Alford plea , ' in which they contend they are innocent , but admit that there is sufficient evidence for a jury to find them guilty , and it is in their best interests to plead guilty . Bangor Daily News ( 1994 )
Maryland Yes Under an Alford plea , the defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that the state has enough evidence for a conviction . The Maryland Gazette ( 2007 ) Under an Alford plea , a defendant does not explicitly admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to convict . The Washington Post ( 1998 )