The crime of mayhem, defined under California Penal Code section 203 (PC), refers to maliciously disfiguring or disabling another person. When someone commits mayhem intending to disfigure or dismember another person, they can be charged with aggravated mayhem under California Penal Code 205 (PC). Several details distinguish this offense from torture and the less serious […]
What is Capital Murder in California? Special Circumstances and the Death Penalty
Have you ever wondered why some people get the death penalty for murder while others do not? The answer comes down to the specific details that make a crime a “capital murder” versus a typical first-degree murder. That’s because while capital punishment is still entirely legal, it is only applicable in a handful of murder […]
Vista, California Elder Abuse Laws: Penal Code 368 (PC)
When people imagine elder abuse, they typically imagine dark, shabby nursing homes staffed by people who are inexperienced and underpaid and filled with residents who have been shuttered away by cheap, greedy relatives who don’t want to spend money on quality care. But elder abuse and neglect can happen in the nicest facilities and even […]
Vista Torture Charges Under California Penal Code Section 206 (PC)
Torture may be a common enough word in our modern language, but there’s a big difference between what is considered torture under the law and what people may joke about being torture —like listening to Nickleback or being forced to eat anchovy pizza. Under California penal Code section 206 (PC), torture is specifically defined not […]
