The United States Supreme Court did not see a difference between a defendant who says he is innocent while entering a plea bargain and a defendant who admits to the crime. The Court cited Brady v. United States. In Brady v. United States it was held that “a guilty plea which would not have been plead for unless the defendant wanted to avoid the death penalty and to lower the maximum penalty to life imprisonment was not forced under the Fifth Amendment.” The plea was a voluntary and an intelligent alternative for Alford. The Court took into thought the evidence provided by witnesses which showed his guilt. Alford gained much more by pleading than by a trial. The Court held that based on a strong factual basis for the plea that the state showed