CHAPTER 1. Offenses by Prisoners [4500. - 4504.]

Cal. Penal Code - PEN 1.

in effect

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 4500. Section 4500.

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 is punishable with death or life imprisonment without possibility of parole. The penalty shall be determined pursuant to the provisions of Sections 190.3 and 190.4; however, in cases in which the person subjected to such assault does not die within a year and a day after such assault as a proximate result thereof, the punishment shall be imprisonment in the state prison for life without the possibility of parole for nine years. For the purpose of computing the days elapsed between the commission of the assault and the death of the person assaulted, the whole of the day on which the assault was committed shall be counted as the first day. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the application of this section when the assault was committed outside the walls of any prison if the person committing the assault was undergoing a life sentence and was serving a sentence to a state prison at the time of the commission of the assault and was not on parole, on probation, or released on bail pending an appeal.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 4501. Section 4501.

(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 to be served consecutively. (b) 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 by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury shall be guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned in the state prison for two, four, or six years to be served consecutively.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 4501.1. Section 4501.1.

(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 by imprisonment in a county jail or by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years. Every state prison inmate convicted of a felony under this section shall serve his or her term of imprisonment as prescribed in Section 4501.5. (b) For purposes of this section, “gassing” means intentionally placing or throwing, or causing to be placed or thrown, upon the person of another, any human excrement or other bodily fluids or bodily substances or any mixture containing human excrement or other bodily fluids or bodily substances that results in actual contact with the person’s skin or membranes. (c) The warden or other person in charge of the state prison shall use every available means to immediately investigate all reported or suspected violations of subdivision (a), including, but not limited to, the use of forensically acceptable means of preserving and testing the suspected gassing substance to confirm the presence of human excrement or other bodily fluids or bodily substances. If there is probable cause to believe that the inmate has violated subdivision (a), the chief medical officer of the state prison or his or her designee, may, when he or she deems it medically necessary to protect the health of an officer or employee who may have been subject to a violation of this section, order the inmate to receive an examination or test for hepatitis or tuberculosis or both hepatitis and tuberculosis on either a voluntary or involuntary basis immediately after the event, and periodically thereafter as determined to be necessary by the medical officer in order to ensure that further hepatitis or tuberculosis transmission does not occur. These decisions shall be consistent with an occupational exposure as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The results of any examination or test shall be provided to the officer or employee who has been subject to a reported or suspected violation of this section. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to otherwise supersede the operation of Title 8 (commencing with Section 7500). Any person performing tests, transmitting test results, or disclosing information pursuant to this section shall be immune from civil liability for any action taken in accordance with this section. (d) The warden or other person in charge of the state prison shall refer all reports for which there is probable cause to believe that the inmate has violated subdivision (a) to the local district attorney for prosecution. (e) The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall report to the Legislature, by January 1, 2000, its findings and recommendations on gassing incidents at the state prison and the medical testing authorized by this section. The report shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (1) The total number of gassing incidents at each state prison facility up to the date of the report. (2) The disposition of each gassing incident, including the administrative penalties imposed, the number of incidents that are prosecuted, and the results of those prosecutions, including any penalties imposed. (3) A profile of the inmates who commit the aggravated batteries, including the number of inmates who have one or more prior serious or violent felony convictions. (4) Efforts that the department has taken to limit these incidents, including staff training and the use of protective clothing and goggles. (5) The results and costs of the medical testing authorized by this section. (f) Nothing in this section shall preclude prosecution under both this section and any other provision of law.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 4501.5. Section 4501.5.

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 consecutively.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 4502. Section 4502.

(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 her custody or control any instrument or weapon of the kind commonly known as a blackjack, slungshot, billy, sandclub, sandbag, or metal knuckles, any explosive substance, or fixed ammunition, any dirk or dagger or sharp instrument, any pistol, revolver, or other firearm, or any tear gas or tear gas weapon, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for two, three, or four years, to be served consecutively. (b) 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, manufactures or attempts to manufacture any instrument or weapon of the kind commonly known as a blackjack, slungshot, billy, sandclub, sandbag, or metal knuckles, any explosive substance, or fixed ammunition, any dirk or dagger or sharp instrument, any pistol, revolver, or other firearm, or any tear gas or tear gas weapon, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for 16 months, or two or three years, to be served consecutively. (c) For purposes of this section, “penal institution” means the state prison, a prison road camp, prison forestry camp, or other prison camp or farm, or a county jail or county road camp.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 4503. Section 4503.

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 or facility, shall be guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned in the state prison for three, five, or seven years to be served consecutively.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 4504. Section 4504.

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 and Rehabilitation or the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Justice, regardless of the purpose of the confinement and regardless of the validity of the order directing the confinement, until a judgment of a competent court setting aside the order becomes final. (b) A person is deemed “confined in” a prison although, at the time of the offense, he or she is temporarily outside its walls or bounds for the purpose of serving on a work detail, for the purpose of confinement in a local correctional institution pending trial, or for any other purpose for which a prisoner may be allowed temporarily outside the walls or bounds of the prison. A prisoner who has been released on parole is not deemed “confined in” a prison for purposes of this chapter.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026