A person shall not be punished for an offense unless by confession of his or her guilt in open court, or by admitting the truth of the charge against him or her by his or her plea or demurrer, or by the verdict of a jury accepted by the court and recorded, or by the judgment of a Criminal Division of the Superior Court when the respondent waives trial by jury. (Amended 1965, No. 194, § 10, operative February 1, 1967; 1973, No. 249 (Adj. Sess.), § 55, eff. April 9, 1974; 2009, No. 154, § 238.)