Issue · Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

Every criminal justice bill, vote, and legislator stance in California, automatically classified by Maddy, our AI policy reader.

Total bills
310
2025-2026 Regular Session
Top supporter
Anna Caballero
92% support rate
Top opponent
Phillip Chen
8% support rate
Ranked legislators
10
5 support · 5 oppose
Key legislators

Who's moving criminal justice in California

Legislators moving criminal justice in California
Legislator Party Stance Support rate Votes
Anna Caballero
Anna Caballero Senate · District 14
D
Strong +
92% 732
Joaquin Arambula
Joaquin Arambula House · District 31
D
Strong +
92% 528
Celeste Rodriguez
Celeste Rodriguez House · District 43
D
Strong +
91% 364
Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Rebecca Bauer-Kahan House · District 16
D
Strong +
91% 467
Aisha Wahab
Aisha Wahab Senate · District 10
D
Strong +
90% 765
Phillip Chen
Phillip Chen House · District 59
R
Strong −
8% 316
Heath Flora
Heath Flora House · District 9
R
Strong −
11% 275
Brian Jones
Brian Jones Senate · District 40
R
Strong −
11% 398
Carl DeMaio
Carl DeMaio House · District 75
R
Strong −
12% 468
Ali Macedo
Ali Macedo House · District 33
R
Strong −
12% 532
Showing 31–40 of 310 bills

All criminal justice bills

passed · California · Senate Aug 13, 2026

SB 1015: Crimes: minors.

Existing law makes every person who contacts or communicates with a minor, or attempts to contact or communicate with a minor, as specified, with intent to commit certain offenses, including any lewd or lascivious act, involving the minor, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison, as provided. This bill would make any adult person who recruits, induces, coerces, or persuades a minor to commit an illegal act against another minor, or to solicit physical harm, sexual conduct, or images of an intimate body part, from another minor, or who utilizes a minor as a conduit of communication to facilitate any such acts guilty of a crime punishable either as a misdemeanor or a felony. By creating a new crime, the 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.
Sub-Topics Corrections
passed · California · Senate Aug 13, 2026

SB 1157: Juveniles: secure youth treatment facilities: less restrictive programs.

Existing law authorizes a court to order a ward who is 14 years of age or older, and who meets certain criteria, to be committed to a secure youth treatment facility, operated by the county of commitment, for a period of confinement. Existing law authorizes the court, upon a motion from the probation department or the ward, to order that the ward be transferred from a secure youth treatment facility to a less restrictive program, such as a halfway house, a camp or ranch, or a community residential or nonresidential service program if the court determines that the ward has made substantial progress toward the goals of the individual rehabilitation plan. Existing law requires the court to consider the recommendations of the probation department on the proposed change in the placement. This bill would generally require the court, when determining whether to place a ward in a particular less restrictive program that includes congregate residential care, to consider certain information, including, among other things, whether the program has specified insurance policies, and to state on the record the reason for placing a ward in a particular less restrictive program that includes congregate residential care. The bill would require program providers to provide that information to the probation department for the purpose of providing it to the court. By imposing additional duties on probation departments, 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
passed · California · Assembly Aug 30, 2026

AB 2760: Law enforcement: wearable electroshock devices.

Existing law requires each law enforcement agency, on or before January 1, 2021, to maintain a policy that provides a minimum standard on the use of force. Existing law requires that the policy include, among other things, training standards and requirements relating to demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the law enforcement agency's use of force policy by officers, investigators, and supervisors. Existing law prohibits a law enforcement agency from authorizing the use of a carotid restraint or choke hold by any peace officer employed by that agency. This bill would, until January 1, 2030, prohibit a law enforcement agency, including a federal law enforcement agency, from using a wearable electroshock device within the State of California. The bill would also prohibit a law enforcement agency from using state funds to purchase a wearable electroshock device. The bill would require a law enforcement agency to update their use of force policies to prohibit the use of a wearable electroshock device. By increasing the duties on local law enforcement, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the Division of Law Enforcement within the Department of Justice to conduct a study on the safety and community impacts of wearable electroshock devices and provide recommendations for appropriate standards and safeguards for their use, and would require the department to report to the Legislature on the findings and recommendations of the study on or before January 1, 2029. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
passed both · California · Senate Aug 28, 2026

SB 1276: Crimes: sexual exploitation of a child.

Under existing law, a person is guilty of sexual exploitation of a child if the person knowingly develops, duplicates, prints, or exchanges any representation of information, data, or image, including, but not limited to, any film, filmstrip, photograph, negative, slide, photocopy, videotape, video laser disc, computer hardware, computer software, computer floppy disc, data storage media, CD-ROM, or computer-generated equipment or any other computer-generated image that contains or incorporates in any manner, any film or filmstrip that depicts a person under 18 years of age engaged in an act of sexual conduct, as defined. Existing law makes a violation of this section punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony, as specified. This bill would, except as specified, make a person guilty of a misdemeanor or a felony if the person knowingly does any of the above-described actions, or downloads, streams, or accesses through electronic or digital media the above-described sexual conduct, knowing that the matter depicts a person under 18 years of age engaged in an act of sexual conduct. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, requires a mandated reporter, as defined, to make a report to a specified agency whenever the mandated reporter, in their professional capacity or within the scope of their employment, has knowledge of or observes a child whom the mandated reporter knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. For the purposes of this act, existing law includes sexual exploitation, and defines sexual exploitation as, among other things, a person who depicts a child in, or who knowingly develops, duplicates, prints, downloads, streams, accesses through any electronic or digital media, or exchanges, a film, photograph, videotape, video recording, negative, or slide in which a child is engaged in an act of obscene sexual conduct, except as specified. This bill would broaden the above-described definition to include any digitally altered or artificial-intelligence-generated matter that depicts a person under 18 years of age engaged in an act of sexual conduct, as specified. 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.
Sub-Topics Human Trafficking
passed both · California · Assembly Aug 30, 2026

AB 2796: Criminal history information: background checks.

(1) Existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, establishes the Board of Registered Nursing to license and regulate the practice of nursing. Existing law requires an applicant for licensure as a registered nurse to comply with specified education and other requirements. This bill would also require an applicant for licensure as a registered nurse to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check, would require the board to submit to the Department of Justice (department) fingerprint images and related information for applicants, and would require the department to provide a state- and federal-level response, as specified. (2) Existing law requires the department to maintain state summary criminal history information, as defined, and to furnish this information to various state and local government officers and officials, as well as other prescribed entities, including, among others, a city, county, city and county, or district, if needed in the course of their duties. Existing law authorizes the Attorney General to furnish state summary criminal history information and, if authorized, federal-level criminal history information, upon a showing of a compelling need, to specified entities, including, among others, peace officers of the United States, other states, or territories or possessions of the United States. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to furnish criminal history information to a person who is not authorized by law to receive it. This bill would instead make those provisions applicable to a city, county, city and county, or governmental district. The bill would also authorize the Attorney General to provide that information to peace officers of tribes in other states under the same conditions. The bill would prescribe a procedure by which a city, county, city and county, or governmental district submit fingerprint images and related information to the department. The bill would make a release of information by the department under these provisions subject to specified federal regulations. By expanding access to criminal history information, this bill would expand a crime and therefore impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law requires employees, prospective employees, volunteers, contractors, and subcontractors of a criminal justice agency to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check. Existing law requires the department to provide a state- and federal-level response, as specified. This bill would make that provision, with regard to a volunteer, contractor, or subcontractor, only applicable to a volunteer, contractor, or subcontractor who either provides services for the administration of criminal justice or has direct or remote access to the criminal justice agency's systems or unescorted access to a criminal justice agency's facilities. (4) Existing law requires employees of entities that have contracts with a private school or heritage school and provide services, including schoolsite administrative or grounds, landscape maintenance, and instruction, to provide their fingerprints to the department, as specified. Existing law requires employees of an entity that contracts with a local educational agency to complete a criminal background check, as specified. Under existing law, a county, city, city and county, or special district is required to have specified prospective employees or volunteers complete a background check that inquires as to whether the applicant has been convicted of certain offenses. Existing law also requires the submission of fingerprints to the department for certifying a massage professional, licensing a professional fiduciary, registering a tax preparer, confirming the appointment of a humane officer, working for a bank or its affiliates, and licensing an escrow agent, as specified. Existing law requires the department to ascertain whether the individual whose fingerprints were submitted has been arrested or convicted of a crime and notify the employer if the person has been convicted of specified felonies. Existing law authorizes the department to notify specified entities of pending criminal proceedings. This bill would instead require those background checks to be submitted pursuant to the provisions above and would make conforming changes. (5) Existing law authorizes a human resource agency, as defined, or a nonprofit corporation or other organization specified by the Attorney General that employs or uses the services of volunteers in positions in which the volunteer or employee has supervisory or disciplinary power over a child or children to request from the department records of all convictions or any arrest pending adjudication involving specified offenses of a person who applies for a license, employment, or volunteer position in which they would have supervisory or disciplinary power over a minor or any person under their care. This bill would revise and recast those provisions to instead allow a qualified entity, as defined, to require a covered individual, as defined, to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check and would authorize a qualified entity to get a subsequent arrest notification pursuant to the provisions above. By expanding access to criminal history information, this bill would expand a crime and therefore impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would make any statutory requirement for an entity to conduct a federal criminal history information check for licensing, certification, or employment purposes inapplicable until the Federal Bureau of Investigation authorizes the entity to conduct a federal criminal history information check, as specified. If the Federal Bureau of Investigation authorizes an entity to conduct a federal criminal history information check, the bill would require the entity to require an applicant, licensee, certified individual, or employee who did not previously undergo a federal criminal history information check to resubmit their fingerprints for that purpose. (6) Existing law requires an application used to determine the eligibility to own a firearm to include 2 copies of the applicant's fingerprints. This bill would instead require an applicant for a certificate of eligibility and a dangerous weapons license or permit issued by the department, including, among other weapons, an assault weapon or short-barreled shotgun, to submit to the department fingerprint images and related information for purposes of conducting a state and national criminal history background check, as specified, and for the purpose of determining if the applicant is prohibited by state or federal law from possessing, receiving, owning, or purchasing a firearm. The bill would require the department to retain the fingerprint impressions for subsequent arrest notification, as specified. (7) Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to screen all providers and designate each provider as "limited," "moderate," or "high" categorical risk. For all providers designated as a "high" categorical risk, existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services, or its designee, to conduct a criminal background check and require specified individuals to submit a set of fingerprints within 30 days of the State Department of Health Care Services's request in a manner specified by the State Department of Health Care Services. This bill would instead add the State Department of Public Health in place of the State Department of Health Care Services's authority to have a designee for these purposes. The bill would require, as an alternative to the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Public Health to prescribe the manner by which a person submits their fingerprints. (8) Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to require that specified applicants, providers, and individuals submit fingerprint images and related information for purposes of a state and federal criminal background check and prescribes a procedure for the State Department of Health Care Services and the department to follow for these purposes. This bill would also add the State Department of Public Health to this requirement and procedure as an alternative to the State Department of Health Care Services and would instead require the information be submitted for specified individuals who are subject to a state and national criminal history background checks. The bill would define "applicant" and "provider" for these purposes. (9) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to license and regulate community care facilities, residential care facilities for persons with chronic, life-threatening illness, residential care facilities for the elderly, and childcare centers. Existing law requires the department to obtain a criminal record for all applicants for licenses for these facilities and services and specified other employees and officers of these facilities, including, among others, adults responsible for the administration or direct supervision of staff, a staff person, volunteer, or employee who has contact with clients, and, if the applicant is a firm, partnership, association, or corporation, the chief executive officer or other person serving in a like capacity. This bill would expand the list of individuals to include, among others, an administrator, supervisor, manager, or director of the facility, or an individual acting in those roles, an adult responsible for the operation of the facility, and a person with a 10% or greater financial interest in the applicant. The bill would clarify that a staff person, volunteer, or employee who has direct contact with clients includes adults and minors. The bill would also include limited liability companies in the list of applicant types to which these provisions apply. By expanding access to criminal history information, this bill would expand a crime and therefore impose a state-mandated local program. (10) Existing law authorizes specified governmental entities to require employees, prospective employees, volunteers, contractors, and subcontractors to undergo fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background checks. Existing law establishes the Business and Consumer Services Agency, the California Housing and Homelessness Agency, and the Housing Development and Finance Committee. Existing law sets forth the general responsibilities and roles of the California Housing Finance Agency, the California Housing and Homelessness Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Housing Development and Finance Committee in carrying out state housing policies and programs. This bill would authorize the Housing Development and Finance Committee to require an employee, prospective employee, volunteer, contractor, or subcontractor to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check, as specified. The bill would require the department to provide a state- and federal-level response. By expanding access to criminal history information, this bill would expand a crime and therefore impose a state-mandated local program. (11) Existing law, the Yacht and Ship Brokers Act, prohibits a person from, among other things, acting as a broker or salesperson for the purchase or sale of a yacht without a license. The act authorizes the issuance of a temporary license to a salesperson under specified conditions. The act requires an applicant for a broker or salesperson license to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check. This bill would authorize a temporary license to be issued to a broker. The bill would also authorize the Deputy Director of Boating and Waterways to extend the term of a temporary license or issue a new temporary license to provide an applicant for a broker or salesperson license time to comply with the criminal history background requirement, as specified. (12) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 44237 of the Education Code proposed by SB 685 to be operative only if this bill and SB 685 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (13) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 11105 of the Penal Code proposed by AB 2001 to be operative only if this bill and AB 2001 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (14) 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. (15) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
passed both · California · Assembly Aug 28, 2026

AB 1741: Sexual battery.

Existing law defines sexual battery as the touching of any intimate part of another person, if the touching is against the will of the person touched and for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or abuse. A violation of this provision is punishable as a misdemeanor. This bill would make a violation of the above provision punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony if the person entered an inhabited dwelling house or trailer coach, as defined, or the inhabited portion of any other building without consent and committed sexual battery while in the dwelling house, trailer coach, or inhabited portion of any other building. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would make other technical, conforming changes. 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.
passed both · California · Senate Aug 26, 2026

SB 1237: Civil Rights Department.

Existing law establishes the Civil Rights Department to administer and enforce various laws relating to civil rights, including the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. Existing law requires certain private employers to annually submit a pay data report to the department that includes, among other information, the number of employees by race, ethnicity, and sex, as specified, and, within each job category, for each combination of race, ethnicity, and sex, the median and mean hourly rate. Upon request from the Civil Rights Department, existing law requires a court to impose a civil penalty not to exceed $100 per employee upon any employer who fails to file the required report and not to exceed $200 per employee upon any employer for a subsequent failure to file the required report. This bill would increase the penalty for subsequent failures to file the report described above to an amount not to exceed $1,000 per employee. Existing law authorizes the department to develop, publish on an annual basis, and publicize aggregate reports based on the data obtained pursuant to their authority under this section, provided that the aggregate reports are reasonably calculated to prevent the association of any data with any individual business or person. This bill would require the department to annually publish the number of total pay data reports submitted, as provided and specified.
Sub-Topics Civil Rights Courts
passed both · California · Assembly Aug 28, 2026

AB 1743: Firearms.

Existing law requires law enforcement agencies to enter each firearm into the Department of Justice Automated Firearms System that has been reported stolen, lost, found, recovered, held for safekeeping, surrendered, relinquished, or under observation. Existing law requires these law enforcement agencies to report to the Department of Justice all available information necessary to identify and trace the history of all recovered firearms that are illegally possessed, have been used in a crime, or are suspected of having been used in a crime, within 7 calendar days of obtaining the information. Existing law requires that the information collected be maintained by the department for a period of not less than 10 years, and to be available, under guidelines set forth by the Attorney General, for academic and policy research purposes. Existing law also requires the department to, on an ongoing basis, analyze the information collected for patterns and trends relating to recovered firearms that have been illegally possessed, used in a crime, or suspected to have been used in a crime, including the leading sources and origins of those firearms. This bill would clarify that the information relied on by the department for its analysis of patterns and trends be available, upon request, to any California town, city, county, or state government agency, the California State University, the University of California, or specified private postsecondary educational institutions in California, under conditions and format options set forth by the Attorney General, as specified.
passed · California · Assembly Jun 15, 2026

AB 2062: Security surveillance companies: access and use of content.

Existing law establishes various privacy protections relating to the collection, use, sale, or distribution of personal information, images, or video recordings, including restrictions relating to the retention, access, use, sale, or sharing of images or video recordings collected through the operation of an in-vehicle camera. This bill would prohibit a security surveillance company, as defined, from distributing, selling, or otherwise authorizing a third party to access, use, or distribute content obtained from a consumer's security surveillance system without first obtaining the express consent of the consumer and the adult residents of a residential rental property or upon receipt of an order of a court or arbitrator.
passed both · California · Assembly Aug 28, 2026

AB 2318: Law enforcement: facilitating medical care.

Existing law generally provides for the regulation of law enforcement agencies and requires specified law enforcement agencies to maintain policies on, among other things, use of force, hate crimes, and gun violence restraining orders. Existing law requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to establish and keep updated a field training officer course relating to competencies of the field training program and police training program that addresses how to interact with persons with certain conditions. This bill would make it unlawful for a law enforcement officer to deny, delay, obstruct, or fail to facilitate access to medical evaluation or treatment for an individual under law enforcement control, but who is not in the custody of, or detained by, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, if it is safe and reasonable to provide access to treatment and a medical professional has been requested or is present and is willing to render care to the individual. If access to medical evaluation or treatment is denied or delayed when a medical professional is present and is willing to assist, the bill would require law enforcement to document the basis of the denial within 72 hours of the incident, as specified. The bill would authorize administrative discipline, including suspension or termination, against a law enforcement officer who violates those provisions. By creating a new crime and by increasing the duties on local law enforcement relating to reporting, the 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Showing 31 to 40 of 310 bills
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