Sexual battery.

Assembly Member Soria's legislation modifies California's sexual battery sentencing guidelines by establishing new consecutive term provisions for offenses committed in hospital settings. The measure adds Section 1170.14 to the Penal Code, creating distinct sentencing paths for cases involving single or multiple victims.

Under the new provisions, courts may impose full, separate, and consecutive terms for sexual battery offenses occurring in hospitals when the crimes involve the same victim during a single incident. The bill requires consecutive sentencing when such offenses involve different victims or the same victim on separate occasions. When determining whether crimes against one victim occurred separately, courts must evaluate whether defendants had opportunities to reflect between acts before resuming assaultive behavior. The duration between incidents or lost opportunities for assault cannot solely determine whether offenses occurred separately.

The consecutive terms mandated by this measure commence after completion of existing sentences and remain separate from other imprisonment terms. While the bill creates a new sentencing enhancement qualifying as a state-mandated local program, it specifies that local agencies and school districts require no reimbursement since the changes only modify crime penalties rather than creating new administrative requirements.