California Penal Code goes into effect

Background. Before the enactment of the Penal Code, California relied on common law definitions of crimes as well as accumulated case law going back to the British common law of post-colonial times. The code was originally enacted in 1872 as one of the original four California Codes, and has been substantially amended and revised since then.

Codification Project. The Penal Code was derived from a penal code proposed by the New York code commission in 1865, frequently called the Field Penal Code after David Dudley Field II. This commission's work was the most broadly influential attempt at codifying criminal law before the Model Penal Code of 1962, despite its flaws.

Structure and Application. The Penal Code is divided into six parts, containing titles and chapters, with individual sections as the smallest unit. Unlike the United States Code, provisions are usually referenced by section number alone, especially in police radio communications, facilitating the application of criminal law and procedure.