(a)Whenever any person who has not previously been convicted of any felony offense under the laws of this State, the laws of any other state, or the laws of the United States, and pleads guilty to, or is found guilty of, possession of less than 15 grams of a controlled substance; possession of less than 15 grams of methamphetamine; or a probationable felony offense of possession of cannabis, theft, retail theft, forgery, deceptive practices, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, burglary, possession of burglary tools, disorderly conduct, criminal damage or trespass to property under Article 21 of the Criminal Code of 2012, criminal trespass to a residence, an offense involving fraudulent identification, or obstructing justice; or possession of cannabis, the court, with the consent of the
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(a) Whenever any person who has not previously been convicted of any felony offense under the laws of this State, the laws of any other state, or the laws of the United States, and pleads guilty to, or is found guilty of, possession of less than 15 grams of a controlled substance; possession of less than 15 grams of methamphetamine; or a probationable felony offense of possession of cannabis, theft, retail theft, forgery, deceptive practices, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, burglary, possession of burglary tools, disorderly conduct, criminal damage or trespass to property under Article 21 of the Criminal Code of 2012, criminal trespass to a residence, an offense involving fraudulent identification, or obstructing justice; or possession of cannabis, the court, with the consent of the defendant and the State's Attorney, may, without entering a judgment, sentence the defendant to probation under this Section. A sentence under this Section shall not be considered a conviction under Illinois law unless and until judgment is entered under subsection (e) of this Section. (a-1) Exemptions. A defendant is not eligible for this probation if the offense he or she pleads guilty to, or is found guilty of, is a violent offense, or he or she has previously been convicted of a violent offense. For purposes of this probation, a "violent offense" is any offense where bodily harm was inflicted or where force was used against any person or threatened against any person, any offense involving sexual conduct, sexual penetration, or sexual exploitation, any offense of domestic violence, domestic battery, violation of an order of protection, stalking, hate crime, and any offense involving the possession of a firearm or dangerous weapon. A defendant shall not be eligible for this probation if he or she has previously been adjudicated a delinquent minor for the commission of a violent offense as defined in this subsection. (b) When a defendant is placed on probation, the court shall enter an order specifying a period of probation of not less than 24 months and shall defer further proceedings in the case until the conclusion of the period or until the filing of a petition alleging violation of a term or condition of probation. (c) The conditions of probation shall be that the defendant: (1) not violate any criminal statute of this State or any other jurisdiction; (2) refrain from possessing a firearm or other dangerous weapon; (3) make full restitution to the victim or property owner under Section 5-5-6 of this Code; (4) obtain or attempt to obtain employment; (5) pay fines and costs; (6) attend educational courses designed to prepare the defendant for obtaining a high school diploma or to work toward passing high school equivalency testing or to work toward completing a vocational training program; (7) submit to periodic drug testing at a time and in a manner as ordered by the court, but no less than 3 times during the period of probation, with the cost of the testing to be paid by the defendant; and (8) perform a minimum of 30 hours of community service. The court may give credit toward the fulfillment of community service hours for participation in activities and treatment as determined by court services. (d) The court may, in addition to other conditions, require that the defendant: (1) make a report to and appear in person before or participate with the court or such courts, person, or social service agency as directed by the court in the order of probation; (2) undergo medical or psychiatric treatment, or treatment or rehabilitation approved by the Illinois Department of Human Services; (3) attend or reside in a facility established for the instruction or residence of defendants on probation; (4) support his or her dependents; or (5) refrain from having in his or her body the presence of any illicit drug prohibited by the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act, the Cannabis Control Act, or the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, unless prescribed by a physician, and submit samples of his or her blood or urine or both for tests to determine the presence of any illicit drug. (e) Upon violation of a term or condition of probation, the court may enter a judgment on its original finding of guilt and proceed as otherwise provided by law. (f) Upon fulfillment of the terms and conditions of probation, the court shall discharge the person and dismiss the proceedings against the person. (g) A disposition of probation is considered to be a conviction for the purposes of imposing the conditions of probation and for appeal; however, a sentence under this Section is not a conviction for purposes of this Code or for purposes of disqualifications or disabilities imposed by law upon conviction of a crime unless and until judgment is entered. (h) A person may only have one discharge and dismissal under this Section within a 4-year period. (i) If a person is convicted of any offense which occurred within 5 years subsequent to a discharge and dismissal under this Section, the discharge and dismissal under this Section shall be admissible in the sentencing proceeding for that conviction as evidence in aggravation. (j) Notwithstanding subsection (a), if the court finds that the defendant suffers from a substance abuse problem, then before the person is placed on probation under this Section, the court may refer the person to the drug court established in that judicial circuit pursuant to Section 15 of the Drug Court Treatment Act. The drug court team shall evaluate the person's likelihood of successfully fulfilling the terms and conditions of probation under this Section and shall report the results of its evaluation to the court. If the drug court team finds that the person suffers from a substance abuse problem that makes him or her substantially unlikely to successfully fulfill the terms and conditions of probation under this Section, then the drug court shall set forth its findings in the form of a written order, and the person shall be ineligible to be placed on probation under this Section, but shall be considered for the drug court program.