{"data":{"id":"us-ga/o.c.g.a.-42-8-61","jurisdiction":"us-ga","citation":"O.C.G.A. § 42-8-61","heading":"Defendant to be informed of eligibility for sentencing as first offender.","body":"When a defendant is represented by an attorney, his or her attorney shall be responsible for informing the defendant as to his or her eligibility for sentencing as a first offender. When a defendant is pro se, the court shall inquire as to the defendant’s interest in entering a plea pursuant to the terms of this article. If the defendant expresses a desire to be sentenced as a first offender, the court shall ask the prosecuting attorney or probation official if the defendant is eligible for sentencing as a first offender. When imposing a sentence, the court shall ensure that, if a defendant is sentenced as a first offender, he or she is made aware of the consequences of entering a first offender plea pursuant to the terms of this article.","path":["TITLE 42 Penal Institutions","CHAPTER 8 Probation","Article 3 First Offenders"],"source_url":"https://archive.org/download/gov.ga.ocga.2018/release86.2022.11/gov.ga.ocga.title.42.odt","current_through":"Release 86 (2022-11)","vintage":"Public.Resource.Org bulk O.C.G.A., Release 86 (2022-11), retrieved 2026-09-17","retrieved_at":"2026-09-17T19:34:57Z","sha256":"b5bd4ff5b03e2ccb17f2b8895ee48d6c21bf1285856bc661e40a78a180fc99f0","source_id":"us-ga","stale":false,"prev":"us-ga/o.c.g.a.-42-8-60","next":"us-ga/o.c.g.a.-42-8-62"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}