California Penal Code 1270 – (a) Any person who has been arrested for, or charged with, an …
(a) Any person who has been arrested for, or charged with, an offense other than a capital offense may be released on his or her own recognizance by a court or magistrate who could release a defendant from custody upon the defendant giving bail, including a defendant arrested upon an out-of-county warrant. A defendant who is in custody and is arraigned on a complaint alleging an offense which is a misdemeanor, and a defendant who appears before a court or magistrate upon an out-of-county warrant arising out of a case involving only misdemeanors, shall be entitled to an own recognizance release unless the court makes a finding on the record, in accordance with Section 1275, that an own recognizance release will compromise public safety or will not reasonably assure the appearance of the defendant as required. Public safety shall be the primary consideration. If the court makes one of those findings, the court shall then set bail and specify the conditions, if any, whereunder the defendant shall be released.
(b) Article 9 (commencing with Section 1318) shall apply to any person who is released pursuant to this section.
Terms Used In California Penal Code 1270
- Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
- Capital offense: A crime punishable by death.
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- magistrate: signifies any one of the officers mentioned in Section 808. See California Penal Code 7
- person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Penal Code 7
- will: includes codicil. See California Penal Code 7
(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 51, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1996.)