California Penal Codes (PC)
According to Webster’s Dictionary, a penal code is the aggregate of statutory enactments dealing with crimes and their punishments. This definition explains that penal codes are guidelines that our government uses to determine the severity of a punishment that coincide with the crime. These codes help the police keep in constant contact with each other without having to explain the whole situation in great detail. Penal Codes are not just used for police officer to communicate with each other, but it is also used to explain the charges that a defendant is being charged with. The purpose of using codes to describe a suspect’s charges is to make sure that every suspect that committed the same crime got the same amount of punishment. These codes serve as a guideline for the judge to determine the severity of the defendant’s punishment for his or her crimes. Some examples of these codes are as follows:
240(pc): Assault (Misdemeanor): An attempt to commit a violent injury on a person, and the ability to do so.
242(pc): Battery (M/F): A willful use of force or violence upon the person of another.
243(pc): Battery on a Peace Officer (Felony)
245(pc): Assault with a Deadly Weapon (M/F): An assault, with a deadly weapon or with force, likely to produce great bodily injury.
261(pc): Rape (Felony): Sexual intercourse, with a person not a spouse, without consent or against a person’s will by means of force or fear.
273.5(pc): Corporal Injury on an Intimate Partner (Felony): willfully inflict physical injury to an intimate partner and cause a traumatic condition in that person.
422(pc): Criminal Threats (Felony): when you threaten to kill or physically harm someone and that person is placed in a state of reasonably sustained fear.
451(pc): Arson (M/F): Willfully and maliciously sets fire to or burns or causes to be burned any structure, forest land, or property.
459(pc): Burglary (Felony): Entering a house, room, store, etc, with intent to commit theft or another felony.
484(pc): Theft/ Larceny (I/M/F): Steal the property of another.
487(pc): Grand Theft (M/F): Theft of money or property valued at greater than $400.
488(pc): Petty Theft (I/M/F): Theft of money or property valued at $400 or less.
496(pc): Receiving Stolen Property (Felony): If you buy, receive, conceal, sell, or withhold any stolen property from the owner.
602(pc) Criminal Trespass (Misdemeanor): Willfully entering upon any lands owned by any other person, without permission of the owner.
25400(pc): Carrying a Concealed Weapon (Felony): makes it a crime to carry a concealed weapon with you or in your vehicle.
These are just some of the codes that are used to describe different crimes and they could be different depending on where you live. A penal code is also known as a criminal code and it refers to the documents that explain the criminal jurisdiction of the courts. The criminal jurisdiction is a term that is used in constitutional law and public law to describe the power of courts to hear a case brought by a state accusing a defendant for committing a crime. This system helps regulate the relationship between states as well as the relationship between the federal courts and the domestic courts of America. This type of document and regulation is good for states that have a single unified system of law.
This document will contain the offenses of the defendant that are recognized in the jurisdiction. Along with the description of the offenses that the defendant committed is a list of punishments for that crime. These codes are commonly used in civil law jurisdictions so that they could use these codes as a guideline to build a legal system around it. However, the punishments and description of each code is not always used in each case, which the judge will determine whether the defendant actually violated the code. Civil law refers to civilian law, which means that it is protected by the police and these codes are not normally included in case laws, such as a lawsuit. In the United States, there is a Model Penal Code which is not itself law but which provides the basis for the criminal law of many states.
Most states in America choose to make use of criminal codes which are often based on the model code. This model code serves as a guideline for all of America to use, but it is entirely up to each state to determine what each code is along with the punishments that come with breaking one of the codes. The benefits of having a common code among police and courts is that it makes it easier for the two to communicate.
This makes it harder for there to be a miscommunication between the police and the people of the court because they are both using this system to describe the defendant’s charges. This system also ensures that every defendant is charged equally based on their charges. This is due to the recommended punishment for each code, which could include jail time or a fine of a certain amount. Page by Sunrise Bail Bonds Alhambra.