CONCERNING POSTPONEMENT OF JUDGMENT IN DISTRICT COURT; AND TO PERMIT A SUSPENDED IMPOSITION OF SENTENCE IN CERTAIN DISTRICT COURT CASES.

Delayed judgments for defendants, with limits

Arkansas district courts can delay judgment in eligible criminal or traffic cases for up to one year. Defendants must stay on supervised or unsupervised probation and follow court orders until conviction or dismissal. After those requirements are completed, courts can allow withdrawal of a conditional guilty plea and dismiss the case. Courts can immediately enter a conviction if they find a violation of probation or another court order. Driving-under-the-influence charges and offenses legally barred from probation or delayed judgment do not qualify. People holding a commercial driver's license or commercial learner's permit when the offense happened generally do not qualify. Parking, vehicle weight, and vehicle defect violations are exceptions to that license restriction. The defendant, a minor defendant's parent, or the defendant's lawyer can request a delay beyond one year. The court can grant that request and continue probation. Those same people can instead request judgment, which must be entered as quickly as feasible, within 10 days. Courts need not report the case outcome until a final conviction or dismissal. Collected restitution, fines, fees, and court costs are distributed as they are after a conviction.