Upon receiving a verdict or plea of guilty for a felony not punishable by death or life imprisonment by a person never before convicted of a crime which at the time of conviction thereof would constitute a felony in this state, a court having jurisdiction of the defendant, if satisfied that the ends of justice and the best interest of the public as well as the defendant will be served thereby, may, without entering a judgment of guilt, and with the consent of the defendant, suspend the imposition of sentence and place the defendant on probation for such period and upon such terms and conditions as the court may deem best. No person who has previously been granted, whether in this state or any other, a suspended imposition of sentence for a felony, is eligible to be granted a second suspended imposition of sentence for a felony. A court may revoke such suspension at any time during the probationary period and impose and execute sentence without diminishment or credit for any of the probationary period.

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Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws 23A-27-13

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Person: includes natural persons, partnerships, associations, cooperative corporations, limited liability companies, and corporations. See South Dakota Codified Laws 2-14-2
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.

Source: SL 1953, ch 202; SL 1957, ch 181; SDC Supp 1960, § 34.3708-2; SL 1961, ch 186; SDCL § 23-57-4; SL 1972, ch 149; SL 1976, ch 158, § 43-3; SL 1977, ch 197; SL 1978, ch 178, § 345; SL 1979, ch 159, § 16A; SL 2010, ch 128, § 1; SL 2016, ch 136, § 1.