Under deferred disposition, when is a court required to report a conviction to the Department of Public Safety in a traffic case?

• A. The court submits only if the defendant completes the terms.
• B. The court does not submit to DPS a record of a traffic case where deferred disposition has been granted unless the defendant fails to complete the terms of deferred disposition and the judge enters a final judgment of guilty.
• C. The court must always submit the conviction regardless of outcome.
• D. The court never submits to DPS.

Answer: (B)

In deferred disposition, the court postpones a conviction while the defendant meets certain conditions. If the defendant successfully completes all terms, there is no conviction, so nothing is reported to the Department of Public Safety. If the terms are not completed and the judge then enters a final judgment of guilty, a conviction exists and must be reported to DPS. Therefore, reporting to DPS happens only when deferred disposition is not successfully completed and a final guilty judgment is entered.