Blog: Penal Code

Does California follow the "castle doctrine"?Watch this video on YouTube Yes. Under Penal Code 198.5 PC, California law follows the legal principle known as Castle Doctrine. This means there is no duty to retreat if a resident confronts an intruder inside his or her own home. Residents are permitted to use force against intruders who break …

Under California Penal Code 33215 PC, it is illegal if a person does any of the following acts with a short-barreled rifle or a short-barreled shotgun: Manufactures them, Imports them into the State, Keeps them for sale, Offers them for sale, Gives or lends them, and/or Possesses them. California Penal Code 17170 PC defines a …

Penal Code 29.4 is the California statute that sets forth the legal defense of voluntary intoxication. This defense is asserted in criminal cases that involve a specific intent crime. It allows a defendant to introduce evidence of voluntary intoxication in order to show that the accused did not have the specific intent to commit a …

Penal Code 647j PC is the California statute that makes “invasion of privacy” a crime. This code section defines “invasion of privacy” as any of three distinct, yet related, crimes: Penal Code 647j1 – using a device to look through a hole or opening, Penal Code 647j2 – using a concealed camera to look under …

The elements of a conspiracy under California criminal law are: the defendant agreed with another person, or persons, to commit a crime, one of the parties to the agreement took an overt act to further or advance that agreement, and the overt act was committed in California. The “elements of a crime” refer to the …

It is a crime in California for a person to view the inside of a bathroom via a camera. California Penal Code 647(j) PC is California’s criminal “invasion of privacy” law. This law states that it is illegal for a person to view the inside of a room or area in which a person has …

If you call 9-1-1 in San Diego falsely describing an emergency or a crime in progress in order to get the police or other first responders to go to the scene, you can face serious criminal penalties. “Swatting,” as it sometimes called, is defined by the FBI as: “making a hoax call to 9-1-1 to …

If your passions get the best of you and an intimate partner while out and about in Ventura County, California and you have sex in public, you could be charged and convicted for violations of California law. Disorderly Conduct California law makes it a form of disorderly conduct to engage “in lewd or dissolute conduct …

You can find yourself charged with disorderly conduct in Oakland for a wide range of acts and activities. Police officers often use disorderly conduct charges as an excuse to arrest people who have annoyed or angered them, such as individuals who may have been rude or yelled at them (which are not crimes). California Penal …