(a) Notwithstanding Section 654 or 654.2, or any other provision of law, this article shall apply whenever a case is before the juvenile court for a determination of whether a minor is a person described in Section 602 because of the commission of a felony offense, if all of the following circumstances apply:
(1) The minor has not previously been declared to be a ward of the court for the commission of a felony offense.
(2) The offense charged is not one of the offenses enumerated in subdivision (b) of Section 707.
(3) The minor has not previously been committed to the custody of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Facilities.
(4) The minor’s record does not indicate that probation has ever been revoked without being completed.
(5) The minor is at least 14 years of age at the time of the hearing.
(6) The minor is eligible for probation pursuant to Section 1203.06 of the Penal Code.
(7) The offense charged is not rape, sodomy, oral copulation, or an act of sexual penetration specified in Section 289 of the Penal Code when the victim was prevented from resisting due to being rendered unconscious by any intoxicating, anesthetizing, or controlled substance, or when the victim was at the time incapable, because of mental disorder or developmental or physical disability, of giving consent, and that was known or reasonably should have been known to the minor at the time of the offense.
(b) The prosecuting attorney shall review their file to determine whether or not paragraphs (1) to (7), inclusive, of subdivision (a) apply. If the minor is found eligible for deferred entry of judgment, the prosecuting attorney shall file a declaration in writing with the court or state for the record the grounds upon which the determination is based, and shall make this information available to the minor and their attorney. Upon a finding that the minor is also suitable for deferred entry of judgment and would benefit from education, treatment, and rehabilitation efforts, the court may grant deferred entry of judgment. Under this procedure, the court may set the hearing for deferred entry of judgment at the initial appearance under Section 657. The court shall make findings on the record that a minor is appropriate for deferred entry of judgment pursuant to this article in any case where deferred entry of judgment is granted.
(c) (1) If a minor is eligible for deferred entry of judgment, but the minor resides in a different county and the case will be transferred, as described in Section 750, the court may adjudicate the case without determining the minor’s suitability for deferred entry of judgment to enable the court in the minor’s county of residence to make that determination.
(2) If a minor is eligible for deferred entry of judgment, but the court did not determine the minor’s suitability for deferred entry of judgment pursuant to paragraph (1), upon transfer of the case to the minor’s county of residence, the receiving court may, prior to determining the disposition of the case, determine the minor’s suitability for deferred entry of judgment and modify the transferring court’s finding accordingly.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 603, Sec. 2. (SB 383) Effective January 1, 2022. Note: This section was added on March 7, 2000, by initiative Prop. 21.)