Title PEN, California Penal Code

Whenever the board of health of any city or county, or the board of supervisors of any county, or the county physician of any county of this State, presents, or causes to be presented to the sheriff, or other officer having charge of any county jail or prison in any county or cit…

In every county having a population of more than 275,000, there shall be a female deputy sheriff in charge of female prisoners. The sheriff of the county shall appoint the female deputy sheriff in charge of female prisoners. (Amended by Stats. 1969, Ch. 643.)

The duties and powers of the female deputy sheriff or other suitable woman assigned to jail duty shall be as follows: (a) She shall have free access at all reasonable times to the immediate presence of all female prisoners in the county jail to which she is assigned, including th…

No officer, deputy, jailer, keeper, guard, or person having charge or control of any such county jail shall refuse the duly appointed and qualified female deputy sheriff thereof, or other suitable woman having the care of female prisoners, free access at all reasonable times to t…

(a) Whenever any female prisoner or prisoners are confined in any local detention facility in the state there shall be an appropriately trained female custodial person assigned, available, and accessible for the supervision of the female prisoners. (b) It shall be unlawful for an…

Whenever by the terms of this code, or of any other law of the state, it is provided that a prisoner shall be confined in any county jail, such provision shall be construed to authorize any prisoner convicted of a misdemeanor to be confined, with the consent of the city, in any c…

Whenever the daily average of more than 100 persons are confined in any county or city jail there shall be available at all times a duly licensed and practicing physician for the care and treatment of all persons confined therein. Such daily average shall be determined by the num…

(a) A person confined in a local detention facility shall be allowed to continue to use materials necessary for personal hygiene with regard to their menstrual cycle and reproductive system, including, but not limited to, sanitary pads and tampons, at no cost to the incarcerated …

(a) Any incarcerated person in any local detention facility shall have the right to summon and receive the services of any physician, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, or physician assistant of their choice in order to determine whether they are pregnant. The superinte…

(a) A person incarcerated in a county jail who is identified as possibly pregnant or capable of becoming pregnant during an intake health examination or at any time during incarceration shall be offered a pregnancy test upon intake or by request, within seventy-two hours of arriv…

(a) The sheriff may discharge any prisoner from the county jail at such time on the last day such prisoner may be confined as the sheriff shall consider to be in the best interests of the prisoner. (b) (1) Upon completion of a sentence served by a prisoner or the release of a pri…

(a) The sheriff, chief of police, or any other person responsible for a county or city jail may apply to the presiding judge of the superior court to receive general authorization for a period of 30 days to release inmates pursuant to the provisions of this section. (b) Whenever,…

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the board of supervisors of any county may authorize the sheriff or other official in charge of county correctional facilities to offer a voluntary program under which any person committed to the facility may participate in a work release progra…

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the board of supervisors of any county in which the average daily inmate population is 90 percent of the county’s correctional system’s mandated capacity may authorize the sheriff or other official in charge of county correctional facilities to …

(a) The board of supervisors of each county, with the concurrence of the county sheriff before implementation, and the city council of each city, with the concurrence of the chief of police before implementation, may establish a notification procedure to provide notice of the rel…

(a) The rights established in this section apply to any person being released from a county jail, including, but not limited to, a person who has completed a sentence served, has been ordered by the court to be released, has been released on the person’s own recognizance, has bee…

(a) The sheriff of each county may establish, maintain and operate a store in connection with the county jail and for this purpose may purchase confectionery, tobacco and tobacco users’ supplies, postage and writing materials, and toilet articles and supplies and sell these goods…

(a) There is hereby created a program in the Counties of Alameda, Kern, Los Angeles, Marin, Napa, Orange, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, and Ventura. In each county, the sheriff or the county officer …

The sheriff or other officer in charge of a county or city jail may provide for the manufacture of small articles of handiwork by prisoners out of raw materials purchased by the prisoners with their own funds or funds borrowed from the inmate welfare fund, which articles may be s…

(a) (1) It is the intent of the Legislature that all prisoners confined in local detention facilities shall be afforded reasonable opportunities to exercise religious freedom. (2) It is the intent of the Legislature that all prisoners confined in local detention facilities shall …

(a) On or before January 1, 2025, the sheriff of each county or the administrator of each local detention facility shall develop and implement a religious grooming, clothing, and headwear policy for individuals in the custody of a local detention facility, including, but not limi…

(a) A condition or restriction shall not be imposed upon the obtaining of an abortion by a person detained in any local detention facility, pursuant to Sections 1 and 1.1 of Article I of the California Constitution and the Reproductive Privacy Act (Article 2.5 (commencing with Se…

(a) Whenever within any county adult detention facility or part of any county detention facility used for the confinement of adults, not including any city jail, any facility, including but not limited to any room or cell, vocational training facility, recreation area, rest area,…

(a) (1) The Legislature finds and declares that law enforcement policies and practices for conducting strip or body cavity searches of detained persons vary widely throughout California. Consequently, some people have been arbitrarily subjected to unnecessary strip and body cavit…

(a) This section applies to all minors detained in a juvenile detention center on the grounds that he or she is a person described in Section 300, 601, or 602 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and all minors adjudged a ward of the court and held in a juvenile detention center…

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) “In-person visit” means an on-site visit that may include barriers. In-person visits include interactions in which an inmate has physical contact with a visitor, the inmate is able to see a visitor throu…

(a) This section shall be known, and may be cited, as Wakiesha’s Law. (b) If an incarcerated person has died, the county or city jail shall notify all people covered by the current medical release of information form and the next of kin form within 24 hours. (Added by Stats. 2025…

(a) (1) The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Motor Vehicles may implement a pilot program to provide an identification card for eligible incarcerated persons, as defined under subdivision (b), so they may have a valid identification card pursuant to Art…

For purposes of this title, and for purposes of all other state law unless an explicit provision of law or the context clearly requires a different meaning, the following shall apply: (a) “Hate crime” means a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of one or more of …

For purposes of this title, the following definitions shall apply: (a) “Association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics” includes advocacy for, identification with, or being on the premises owned or rented by, or adjacent to, any o…

For purposes this code, unless an explicit provision of law or the context clearly requires a different meaning, “gender” has the same meaning as in Section 422.56. (Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 700, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2005.)

This title shall be known and may be cited as the County Correctional Facility Capital Expenditure Bond Act of 1986. (Added by Stats. 1986, Ch. 12, Sec. 1. Approved in Proposition 52 at the June 3, 1986, election.)

It is found and declared that: (a) While the County Jail Capital Expenditure Bond Act of 1981 and the County Jail Capital Expenditure Bond Act of 1984 have helped eliminate many of the critically overcrowded conditions found in the 164 county jail facilities in the state, many pr…

This title shall be known and may be cited as the County Correctional Facility Capital Expenditure and Youth Facility Bond Act of 1988. (Added by Stats. 1988, Ch. 264, Sec. 1. Approved in Proposition 86 at the November 8, 1988, election.)

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) While the County Jail Capital Expenditure Bond Act of 1981, the County Jail Capital Expenditure Bond Act of 1984, and the County Correctional Facility Capital Expenditure Bond Act of 1986 have helped eliminate many of t…

As used in this title, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) “Committee” means the 1988 County Correctional Facility Capital Expenditure and Youth Facility Finance Committee created pursuant to Section 4496.34. (b) “Fund” means the 1988 County Correctional Facility…

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that approval by the electors of the County Correctional Facilities Capital Expenditure and Youth Facility Bond Act of 1988 has made new funds available for the construction and renovation of county jails and county juvenile facilities. The …

In this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) “Structure” means any building, or commercial or public tent, bridge, tunnel, or powerplant. (b) “Forest land” means any brush covered land, cut-over land, forest, grasslands, or woods. (c) “Property” means rea…

Every person while undergoing a life sentence, who is sentenced to state prison within this state, and who, with malice aforethought, commits an assault upon the person of another with a deadly weapon or instrument, or by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury i…

(a) Except as provided in Section 4500, every person confined in the state prison of this state who commits an assault upon the person of another with a deadly weapon or instrument shall be guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned in the state prison for two, four, or six years…

(a) Every person confined in the state prison who commits a battery by gassing upon the person of any peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2, or employee of the state prison is guilty of aggravated battery and shall be punished…

Every person confined in a state prison of this state who commits a battery upon the person of any individual who is not himself a person confined therein shall be guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned in the state prison for two, three, or four years, to be served consecuti…

(a) Every person who, while at or confined in any penal institution, while being conveyed to or from any penal institution, or while under the custody of officials, officers, or employees of any penal institution, possesses or carries upon his or her person or has under his or he…

Any person confined therein who holds as hostage any person within any prison or facility under the jurisdiction of the Director of Corrections, or who by force or threat of force holds any person or persons against their will in defiance of official orders within any such prison…

For purposes of this chapter: (a) A person is deemed confined in a “state prison” if he or she is confined in any of the prisons and institutions specified in Section 5003 by order made pursuant to law, including, but not limited to, commitments to the Department of Corrections a…

A person is guilty of arson when he or she willfully and maliciously sets fire to or burns or causes to be burned or who aids, counsels, or procures the burning of, any structure, forest land, or property. (a) Arson that causes great bodily injury is a felony punishable by impris…