Penal Code § 186.22 PC – Criminal Street Gang Activities – California Law

Legal References:

1. Penal Code 186.22. The full language of the statute reads that: (a) A person who actively participates in a criminal street gang with knowledge that its members engage in, or have engaged in, a pattern of criminal gang activity, and who willfully promotes, furthers, or assists in felonious criminal conduct by members of that gang, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three years. (b) (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (4) and (5), a person who is convicted of a felony committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal street gang, with the specific intent to promote, further, or assist in criminal conduct by gang members, shall, upon conviction of that felony, in addition and consecutive to the punishment prescribed for the felony or attempted felony of which the person has been convicted, be punished as follows: (A) Except as provided in subparagraphs (B) and (C), the person shall be punished by an additional term of two, three, or four years at the court’s discretion. (B) If the felony is a serious felony, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 1192.7, the person shall be punished by an additional term of five years. (C) If the felony is a violent felony, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5, the person shall be punished by an additional term of 10 years. (2) If the underlying felony described in paragraph (1) is committed on the grounds of, or within 1,000 feet of, a public or private elementary, vocational, junior high, or high school, during hours in which the facility is open for classes or school-related programs or when minors are using the facility, that fact shall be a circumstance in aggravation of the crime in imposing a term under paragraph (1). (3) The court shall select the sentence enhancement that, in the court’s discretion, best serves the interests of justice and shall state the reasons for its choice on the record at the time of the sentencing in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (d) of Section 1170.1. (4) A person who is convicted of a felony enumerated in this paragraph committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal street gang, with the specific intent to promote, further, or assist in criminal conduct by gang members, shall, upon conviction of that felony, be sentenced to an indeterminate term of life imprisonment with a minimum term of the indeterminate sentence calculated as the greater of: (A) The term determined by the court pursuant to Section 1170 for the underlying conviction, including any enhancement applicable under Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 1170) of Title 7 of Part 2, or any period prescribed by Section 3046, if the felony is any of the offenses enumerated in subparagraph (B) or (C) of this paragraph. (B) Imprisonment in the state prison for 15 years, if the felony is a home invasion robbery, in violation of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 213; carjacking, as defined in Section 215; a felony violation of Section 246; or a violation of Section 12022.55. (C) Imprisonment in the state prison for seven years, if the felony is extortion, as defined in Section 519; or threats to victims and witnesses, as defined in Section 136.1. (5) Except as provided in paragraph (4), a person who violates this subdivision in the commission of a felony punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for life shall not be paroled until a minimum of 15 calendar years have been served. (c) If the court grants probation or suspends the execution of sentence imposed upon the defendant for a violation of subdivision (a), or in cases involving a true finding of the enhancement enumerated in subdivision (b), the court shall require that the defendant serve a minimum of 180 days in a county jail as a condition thereof. (d) A person who is convicted of a public offense, punishable as a felony or a misdemeanor, that is committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with, a criminal street gang, with the specific intent to promote, further, or assist in criminal conduct by gang members, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed one year, or by imprisonment in a state prison for one, two, or three years, provided that a person sentenced to imprisonment in the county jail shall be imprisoned for a period not to exceed one year, but not less than 180 days, and shall not be eligible for release upon completion of sentence, parole, or any other basis, until the person has served 180 days. If the court grants probation or suspends the execution of sentence imposed upon the defendant, it shall require as a condition thereof that the defendant serve 180 days in a county jail. (e) (1) As used in this chapter, “pattern of criminal gang activity” means the commission of, attempted commission of, conspiracy to commit, or solicitation of, sustained juvenile petition for, or conviction of, two or more of the following offenses, provided at least one of these offenses occurred after the effective date of this chapter, and the last of those offenses occurred within three years of the prior offense and within three years of the date the current offense is alleged to have been committed, the offenses were committed on separate occasions or by two or more members, the offenses commonly benefited a criminal street gang, and the common benefit of the offense is more than reputational: (A) Assault with a deadly weapon or by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, as defined in Section 245. (B) Robbery, as defined in Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 211) of Title 8. (C) Unlawful homicide or manslaughter, as defined in Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 187) of Title 8. (D) The sale, possession for sale, transportation, manufacture, offer for sale, or offer to manufacture a controlled substance as defined in Section 11007 of the Health and Safety Code. (E) Shooting at an inhabited dwelling or occupied motor vehicle, as defined in Section 246. (F) Discharging or permitting the discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle, as defined in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 12034 until January 1, 2012, and, on or after that date, subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 26100. (G) Arson, as defined in Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 450) of Title 13. (H) The intimidation of witnesses and victims, as defined in Section 136.1. (I) Grand theft, as defined in subdivision (a) or (c) of Section 487. (J) Grand theft of any firearm, vehicle, trailer, or vessel. (K) Burglary, as defined in Section 459. (L) Rape, as defined in Section 261. (M) Money laundering, as defined in Section 186.10. (N) Kidnapping, as defined in Section 207. (O) Mayhem, as defined in Section 203. (P) Aggravated mayhem, as defined in Section 205. (Q) Torture, as defined in Section 206. (R) Felony extortion, as defined in Sections 518 and 520. (S) Carjacking, as defined in Section 215. (T) The sale, delivery, or transfer of a firearm, as defined in Section 12072 until January 1, 2012, and, on or after that date, Article 1 (commencing with Section 27500) of Chapter 4 of Division 6 of Title 4 of Part 6. (U) Possession of a pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person in violation of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 12101 until January 1, 2012, and, on or after that date, Section 29610. (V) Threats to commit crimes resulting in death or great bodily injury, as defined in Section 422. (W) Theft and unlawful taking or driving of a vehicle, as defined in Section 10851 of the Vehicle Code. (X) Prohibited possession of a firearm in violation of Section 12021 until January 1, 2012, and on or after that date, Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 29800) of Division 9 of Title 4 of Part 6. (Y) Carrying a concealed firearm in violation of Section 12025 until January 1, 2012, and, on or after that date, Section 25400. (Z) Carrying a loaded firearm in violation of Section 12031 until January 1, 2012, and, on or after that date, Section 25850. (2) The currently charged offense shall not be used to establish the pattern of criminal gang activity. (f) As used in this chapter, “criminal street gang” means an ongoing, organized association or group of three or more persons, whether formal or informal, having as one of its primary activities the commission of one or more of the criminal acts enumerated in subdivision (e), having a common name or common identifying sign or symbol, and whose members collectively engage in, or have engaged in, a pattern of criminal gang activity. (g) As used in this chapter, to benefit, promote, further, or assist means to provide a common benefit to members of a gang where the common benefit is more than reputational. Examples of a common benefit that are more than reputational may include, but are not limited to, financial gain or motivation, retaliation, targeting a perceived or actual gang rival, or intimidation or silencing of a potential current or previous witness or informant. (h) Notwithstanding any other law, the court may strike the additional punishment for the enhancements provided in this section or refuse to impose the minimum jail sentence for misdemeanors in an unusual case where the interests of justice would best be served, if the court specifies on the record and enters into the minutes the circumstances indicating that the interests of justice would best be served by that disposition. (i) Notwithstanding any other law, for each person committed to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Facilities for a conviction pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) of this section, the offense shall be deemed one for which the state shall pay the rate of 100 percent of the per capita institutional cost of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Facilities, pursuant to former Section 912.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. (j) In order to secure a conviction or sustain a juvenile petition, pursuant to subdivision (a) it is not necessary for the prosecution to prove that the person devotes all, or a substantial part, of their time or efforts to the criminal street gang, nor is it necessary to prove that the person is a member of the criminal street gang. Active participation in the criminal street gang is all that is required. (k) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2023, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2023, deletes or extends that date. (Amended (as amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 561, Sec. 178) by Stats. 2021, Ch. 699, Sec. 3. (AB 333) Effective January 1, 2022. Repealed as of January 1, 2023, by its own provisions. See later operative version, as amended by Sec. 4 of Stats. 2021, Ch. 699.) See also People v. Prunty (2015), 62 Cal.4^th 59.
2. Judicial Council of California Criminal Jury Instructions (“CALCRIM”) No. 1400 – Active Participation in Criminal Street Gang. See also People v. Mesa (2012), 54 Cal.4^th 191; and, People v. Valencia (2021), 11 Cal.5^th 818.
3. See, for example, People v. Castenada (2000), 23 Cal.4^th 743.
4. CALCRIM No. 1400. See also People v. Duran (2002), 97 Cal.App.4th 1448.
5. See, for example, People v. Gonzalez (2021), 59 Cal.App.5^th 643.
6. CALCRIM No. 1401 – Felony or Misdemeanor Committed for Benefit of Criminal Street Gang. See also People v. Albillar (2010), 51 Cal.4^th 47.
7. CALCRIM No. 1401.
8. In re Ramon T. (1997), 57 Cal.App.4th 201. See also People v. Gonzales (2011) 199 Cal.App.4^th 219; and, People v. Vargas (2020), 9 Cal.5^th 793.
9. California Penal Code 186.22a PC. Note that this code section was enacted as part of the Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act or, the STEP Act).
10. California Penal Code 186.22a PC. See also California Penal Code 672 PC.
11. California Penal Code 186.22b PC. See also Assembly Bill 333 (2021).
12. See same.