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California legal term

Deprivation or violation of the personal liberty of another in California Criminal Law

Current through 2026 California legislative session

In California criminal law, “Deprivation or violation of the personal liberty of another” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the California criminal code.

What does “Deprivation or violation of the personal liberty of another” mean in California criminal law?

“Deprivation or violation of the personal liberty of another” includes substantial and sustained restriction of another’s liberty accomplished through force, fear, fraud, deceit, coercion, violence, duress, menace, or threat of unlawful injury to the victim or to another person, under circumstances where the person receiving or apprehending the threat reasonably believes that it is likely that the person making the threat would carry it out. (Cal. Penal Code § 236.1)

Statutes defining or using this term

Related terms in the same statutes

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.