Missouri Revised Statutes Title XXXVIII. Crimes and Punishment; Peace Officers and Public Defenders § 577.023. Aggravated, chronic, persistent and prior offenders, when--trial procedures--sentencing information

1. A court shall find the defendant to be a prior offender, prior boating offender, persistent offender, persistent boating offender, aggravated offender, aggravated boating offender, chronic offender, chronic boating offender, habitual offender, or habitual boating offender if:

2. In a jury trial, the defendant's status as a prior offender, prior boating offender, persistent offender, persistent boating offender, aggravated offender, aggravated boating offender, chronic offender, chronic boating offender, habitual offender, or habitual boating offender shall be found prior to submission to the jury outside of its hearing.

3. In a trial without a jury or upon a plea of guilty, a determination of the defendant's status as a prior offender, prior boating offender, persistent offender, persistent boating offender, aggravated offender, aggravated boating offender, chronic offender, chronic boating offender, habitual offender, or habitual boating offender may be made by the court at any time prior to sentencing.

4. Evidence offered as proof of the defendant's status as a prior offender, prior boating offender, persistent offender, persistent boating offender, aggravated offender, aggravated boating offender, chronic offender, chronic boating offender, habitual offender or habitual boating offender shall include but not be limited to evidence of findings of guilt received by a search of the records of the Missouri uniform law enforcement system, including criminal history records from the central repository or records from the driving while intoxicated tracking system (DWITS) maintained by the Missouri state highway patrol, or the certified driving record maintained by the Missouri department of revenue. Any findings of guilt used to establish the defendant's status as a prior offender, prior boating offender, persistent offender, persistent boating offender, aggravated offender, aggravated boating offender, chronic offender, chronic boating offender, habitual offender or habitual boating offender shall be prior to the date of commission of the present offense.

5. The defendant shall be accorded full rights of confrontation and cross-examination, with the opportunity to present evidence, at such hearings.

6. The defendant may waive proof of the facts used to prove his or her status as a prior offender, prior boating offender, persistent offender, persistent boating offender, aggravated offender, aggravated boating offender, chronic offender, chronic boating offender, habitual offender, or habitual boating offender.

7. If a court finds the defendant to be a prior offender, prior boating offender, persistent offender, persistent boating offender, aggravated offender, aggravated boating offender, chronic offender, chronic boating offender, habitual offender, or habitual boating offender, the court shall not instruct the jury as to the range of punishment or allow the jury, upon a finding of guilt, to assess and declare the punishment as part of its verdict.

8. At sentencing, all parties shall be permitted to present additional information bearing on the issue of the sentence. Nothing in this section shall prevent the use of presentence investigations, sentencing advisory reports or commitments.