Skip to main content
US Criminal Defense.org
Menu

California legal term

Intellectual disability in California Criminal Law

Current through 2026 California legislative session

In California criminal law, “Intellectual disability” 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 “Intellectual disability” mean in California criminal law?

“Intellectual disability” means the condition of significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested before the end of the developmental period, as defined by clinical standards. (Cal. Penal Code § 1376)

Statutes defining or using this term

Related terms in the same statutes

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.