4800-4813
PENAL CODE
SECTION 4800-4813
4800. The general authority to grant reprieves, pardons and commutations of sentence is conferred upon the Governor by Section 8 of Article V of the Constitution of the State of California. 4801. (a) The Board of Prison Terms may report to the Governor, from time to time, the names of any and all persons imprisoned in any state prison who, in its judgment, ought to have a commutation of sentence or be pardoned and set at liberty on account of good conduct, or unusual term of sentence, or any other cause, including evidence of intimate partner battering and its effects. For purposes of this section, "intimate partner battering and its effects" may include evidence of the nature and effects of physical, emotional, or mental abuse upon the beliefs, perceptions, or behavior of victims of domestic violence where it appears the criminal behavior was the result of that victimization. (b) The Board of Prison Terms, in reviewing a prisoner's suitability for parole pursuant to Section 3041.5, shall consider any information or evidence that, at the time of the commission of the crime, the prisoner had experienced intimate partner battering, but was convicted of the offense prior to the enactment of Section 1107 of the Evidence Code by Chapter 812 of the Statutes of 1991. The board shall state on the record the information or evidence that it considered pursuant to this subdivision, and the reasons for the parole decision. The board shall annually report to the Legislature and the Governor on the cases the board considered pursuant to this subdivision during the previous year, including the board's decision and the findings of its investigations of these cases. 4802. In the case of a person twice convicted of felony, the application for pardon or commutation of sentence shall be made directly to the Governor, who shall transmit all papers and documents relied upon in support of and in opposition to the application to the Board of Prison Terms. 4803. When an application is made to the Governor for pardon or commutation of sentence, or when an application has been referred to the Board of Prison Terms, he or it may require the judge of the court before which the conviction was had, or the district attorney by whom the action was prosecuted, to furnish him or it, without delay, with a summarized statement of the facts proved on the trial, and of any other facts having reference to the propriety of granting or refusing said application, together with his recommendation for or against the granting of the same and his reason for such recommendation. 4804. At least 10 days before the Governor acts upon an application for a pardon, written notice of the intention to apply therefor, signed by the person applying, must be served upon the district attorney of the county where the conviction was had, and proof, by affidavit, of the service must be presented to the Governor. 4806. The provisions of Section 4804 are not applicable: 1. When there is imminent danger of the death of the person convicted or imprisoned; 2. When the term of imprisonment of the applicant is within 10 days of its expiration. 4807. The Governor must, at the beginning of every session, communicate to the Legislature in addition to each case of reprieve, or pardon, as provided in Article V, Section 8, of the Constitution of California, each commutation, stating the name of the person convicted, the crime of which he was convicted, the sentence and its date, the date of the commutation and the reason for granting the same. 4807.2. Every application for pardon or commutation of sentence shall be accompanied by a full statement of any compensation being paid to any person for procuring or assisting in procuring the pardon or commutation or the pardon or commutation shall be denied. 4807.3. Every person who receives or agrees to receive any compensation or who receives any gift for procuring or assisting in procuring a pardon or commutation of sentence for any applicant must file with the Governor a full statement of the amount and character of such compensation or gift within 10 days of the receipt thereof. Any failure to file a full statement as required by this section is a misdemeanor. 4810. (a) The Board of Prison Terms shall succeed to and shall exercise and perform all powers and duties granted to and imposed upon the Advisory Pardon Board by law. (b) The Advisory Pardon Board is abolished. (c) The report required of the Board of Prison Terms by Section 4814 may be included in the report of the department. 4812. Upon request of the Governor the Board of Prison Terms shall investigate and report on all applications for reprieves, pardons and commutation of sentence and shall make such recommendations to the Governor with reference thereto as to it may seem advisable. To that end the board shall examine and consider all applications so referred and all transcripts of judicial proceedings and all affidavits or other documents submitted in connection therewith, and shall have power to employ assistants and take testimony and to examine witnesses under oath and to do any and all things necessary to make a full and complete investigation of and concerning all applications referred to it. Members of the board and its administrative officer are, and each of them is, hereby authorized to administer oaths. 4813. In the case of applications of persons twice convicted of a felony, the Board of Prison Terms, after investigation, shall transmit its written recommendation upon such application to the Governor, together with all papers filed in connection with the application.