Gibson v. State

I fully concur in all of the opinion.

Nevertheless, I write separately to emphasize the importance of assuring that a defendant is fully informed of the provisions of the First Offender Act during negotiations regarding a guilty plea, or after conviction at trial. As the opinion correctly notes, in Griffin v. State, 244 Ga. App. 447 (535 SE2d 783) (2000), this court determined that in the absence of a request by the defendant there was no requirement that the trial court inform the defendant of the provisions of the First Offender Act. Thus, it is advisable that defendant’s counsel explain…