§ 990a-1.1 Sentencing procedures.

When a judge sentences someone who qualifies for community punishment instead of prison, the judge has to first hand down a deferred or suspended sentence. This means the person's prison time is put on hold, either because the court is delaying judgment or suspending the sentence altogether.

After that, the judge decides what conditions the person must follow as part of their community punishment. These conditions become the rules the person must live by instead of going to prison. Things like probation check-ins, community service, treatment programs, or other requirements would fall under this.

This applies to anyone sentenced on or after March 1, 2000, who qualifies for this type of sentencing. The main point is that the deferred or suspended sentence and the community punishment conditions get decided together, at the same sentencing hearing, so the person knows exactly what's expected of them from the start.