Violent Crime

Requires sex offender registration for adults who have unlawful sex with minors more than 3 years younger. Mandates 10-year registration for offenders age 21 or older who have sex with minors under 16. Exempts offenders who are within 10 years of the minor's age if it is their only registerable offense. Establishes a three-tier registration system with periods of 10 years, 20 years, or life based on offense severity.

Expands sex offender registration requirements to include juveniles released from secure youth treatment facilities. Establishes a two-tier registration system with 5-year and 10-year minimum registration periods based on offense severity. Requires facilities to inform juveniles of registration duties before release and transmit information to the Department of Justice. Allows juveniles to petition for removal from the registry after completing their mandatory registration period.

Expands sexual assault penalties to protect dependent persons with prison terms of 5-9 years. Maintains existing penalties of 2-6 years for sexual assault against the general population. Imposes life sentences for sexual assault during first-degree burglary.

Requires courts to evaluate human trafficking history before making child custody decisions. Mandates protective measures in custody orders when a child or parent is a trafficking victim. Creates a legal presumption against awarding custody to parents convicted of human trafficking.

Revises state homicide laws by removing riot suppression as a legal justification for deadly force. Requires people outside their home to retreat if safely possible before using deadly force. Prohibits initial aggressors from claiming self-defense unless they clearly attempt to stop fighting. Maintains existing protections for residents who use deadly force against home intruders.

Expands asset forfeiture laws to cover all human trafficking cases involving commercial sex acts, not just those with minors. Authorizes courts to seize vehicles, property, and assets used in or gained from human trafficking activities. Requires notification to all parties with property interests before asset seizure can proceed. Protects family homes and innocent co-owners from property forfeiture in trafficking cases.

Prohibits courts from using juvenile offenses to enhance adult criminal sentences under the Three Strikes Law. Establishes a process for people to petition courts to remove juvenile-based sentence enhancements. Requires prosecutors to prove beyond reasonable doubt why someone is ineligible for resentencing. Mandates that resentenced individuals receive credit for time served and may face up to 3 years of parole.

Requires public reporting of human trafficking arrests and victim statistics on California's OpenJustice portal. Mandates local law enforcement agencies to collect and report human trafficking data to the state. Guarantees state reimbursement to local agencies for costs of new data collection requirements.

Requires courts to prioritize victim restitution payments before all other criminal fines and fees. Mandates convicted defendants to fully disclose financial assets to ensure proper restitution payment. Expands the definition of victims eligible for restitution to include family members and affected businesses. Establishes specific restitution requirements for corporate defendants with fines up to $100,000 for felonies.

Expands legal protections against forced marriages by allowing victims to challenge marriages beyond the 4-year limit. Requires courts to accept late marriage nullification petitions if victims of forced marriage show good cause. Criminalizes forced marriage equally regardless of the victim's age at the time of the offense.

Extends minimum parole eligibility from 7 to 20 years for adults who torture children under their care. Applies only to torture crimes committed after January 1, 2026. Targets specifically cases where victims are 14 years old or younger. Requires adult perpetrators to have had care or custody of the child victim.

Prohibits inmates convicted of serious child abuse from earning double sentence credits as firefighters. Maintains double sentence credits for eligible inmates serving as firefighters or in conservation camps. Applies to both state prison and county jail inmates who participate in firefighting programs.

Extends the time for prosecutors to object to wrongful conviction compensation claims from 15 to 45 days. Authorizes prosecutors to use trial records alone to challenge compensation claims if clear evidence exists. Prohibits compensation payments to anyone currently serving time for a serious or violent felony. Requires outstanding restitution orders to be paid from compensation before claimants receive payment.

Expands criminal record clearing options to any offense for victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. Requires agencies to seal records within 90 days of court order and destroy them within one year. Allows victims to use coercion as a defense for violent felonies except murder. Mandates the Department of Justice to notify victims when their records are sealed.

Establishes harsher prison sentences for sexual battery crimes committed in hospitals. Requires consecutive prison terms when multiple victims are involved in hospital sexual assaults. Mandates separate sentences when the same victim is assaulted on different occasions in a hospital. Allows judges to impose consecutive terms instead of combined sentences for hospital-based assaults.

Classifies knowingly providing fentanyl to minors as a serious felony in California. Prohibits plea bargaining for fentanyl cases involving minors except in limited circumstances. Adds a mandatory 5-year sentence enhancement for repeat serious felony offenders. Requires local agencies to implement new enforcement programs without state funding.

Authorizes individuals under age 26 to petition courts to seal and destroy eligible criminal records after 4 years. Requires law enforcement agencies to seal records within 90 days and destroy them within one year of court orders. Excludes serious crimes, violent felonies, and sex offenses from eligibility for record sealing. Denies relief to petitioners who have not paid victim restitution or were convicted of new offenses.

Expands court relief for human trafficking victims under 18 to clear any criminal offenses from their records. Requires victims to prove their offense was directly caused by being trafficked to receive relief. Mandates courts to seal and destroy all records within one year if relief is granted. Allows victims to petition for relief at any time after escaping trafficking with no deadline.

Expands asset forfeiture laws to seize property from human trafficking without proving a pattern of criminal activity. Directs seized assets to fund victim services and law enforcement training for human trafficking cases. Requires prosecutors to prove beyond reasonable doubt that property was gained through human trafficking. Protects innocent property owners by exempting assets owned by legitimate purchasers from seizure.

Classifies providing fentanyl to minors as a serious felony under California law. Prohibits plea bargaining in cases involving fentanyl distribution to minors. Imposes a 5-year sentence enhancement for repeat serious felony offenders.

Expands vacatur relief for victims of intimate partner violence who committed nonviolent crimes while being abused. Requires courts to evaluate public safety impact before vacating convictions of licensed professionals. Mandates licensing boards receive 45 days to respond when licensed professionals seek conviction removal. Requires sealing and destruction of arrest records within three years of court approval.

Removes the spousal exception from California's rape law to recognize rape within marriage. Expands legal protections by applying rape laws equally to all victims regardless of marital status. Requires prosecutors to prove victim's inability to consent due to mental or physical disability.

Expands penalties for soliciting minors for prostitution and creates new fines for purchasing commercial sex. Establishes a Survivor Support Fund to provide grants to organizations helping sex trafficking victims. Requires first-time offenders engaged in prostitution to be offered diversion programs instead of jail. Makes loitering with intent to purchase commercial sex a new misdemeanor offense.

Expands California's extortion law to include threats involving AI-generated images and videos. Makes threatening to create or distribute AI-generated content a criminal offense under extortion laws. Requires local law enforcement to enforce the new AI-related extortion provisions without state funding.

Expands stalking laws to protect pets, service animals, and emotional support animals from credible threats. Imposes penalties of up to one year in jail and $1,000 fine for stalking violations. Requires mandatory counseling for offenders placed on probation. Allows courts to issue restraining orders valid for up to 10 years against stalking offenders.