Contempt of court: victim intimidation.

Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to willfully disobey the terms, as written, of a process or court order or out-of-state court order, lawfully issued by a court. Under existing law, if a person violates this provision by willfully contacting a victim by telephone or mail or directly and has a prior conviction for stalking, as defined, the person is punished by not more than one year in county jail, a fine of $5,000, or both that fine and imprisonment. This bill would specify that this fine is to be no more than $5,000. The bill would expand the above punishment to a person with a prior conviction for stalking who has violated a court order by willfully contacting the victim by social media, electronic communication, or electronic communication device. By expanding the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.