DEFERRED ADJUDICATION V. DEFERRED DISPOSITION

Deferred Adjudication v. Deferred Disposition Prosecution

 

Question: What is the Difference between Deferred Adjudication and Deferred Disposition?

Answer: Although Deferred Adjudication and Deferred Disposition are often incorrectly used interchangable, they are quite different and each have very distinct benefits and drawbacks.

Deferred adjudication is a sentencing alternative to an outright pleading of 'guilty' that can allow a defendant to avoid a conviction. Typically the defendant enters a plea of guilty or nolo contendre (no contest) in open court, where the plea is heard by the court, but not entered into the official court record. Instead, Deferred Adjudication allows the judge to postpone or defer any finding of guilt for a set period of time. During that period the defendant will be placed under community supervision, which is essentially texas probation. At the end of the set period, often six months or one to two years, and if the defendant has successfully completed the community supervision, the judge will enter no finding of guilt, and the defendant will have avoided any conviction in the case by having the case dismissed.

*Read more on Deferrals at our Deferral Page

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