Title 17, Chapter 7, Section 93
( 17-7-93)
(a) Upon the arraignment of a person accused of committing a crime,
the indictment or accusation shall be read to him and he shall be
required to answer whether he is guilty or not guilty of the offense
charged, which answer or plea shall be made orally by the accused
person or his counsel. (b) If the person pleads "guilty," the plea shall be immediately
recorded on the minutes of the court by the clerk, together with the
arraignment; and the court shall pronounce the judgment of the law
upon the person in the same manner as if he had been convicted of
the offense by the verdict of a jury. At any time before judgment is
pronounced, the accused person may withdraw the plea of "guilty" and
plead "not guilty"; and the former plea shall not be admissible as
evidence against him at his trial. (c) In addition to any other inquiry by the court prior to
acceptance of a plea of guilty, the court shall determine whether
the defendant is freely entering the plea with an understanding that
if he or she is not a citizen of the United States, then the plea
may have an impact on his or her immigration status. This
subsection shall apply with respect to acceptance of any plea of
guilty to any state offense in any court of this state or any
political subdivision of this state. |