Government Code section 844

As used in this chapter, “prisoner” includes an inmate of a prison, jail, or penal or correctional facility. For the purposes of this chapter, a lawfully arrested person who is brought into a law enforcement facility for the purpose of being booked, as described in Section 7 of the Penal Code, becomes a prisoner, as a matter of law, upon his or her initial entry into a prison, jail, or penal or correctional facility, pursuant to penal processes.

Source: Section 844, https://leginfo.­legislature.­ca.­gov/faces/codes_displaySection.­xhtml?lawCode=GOV§ionNum=844.­ (updated Jan. 1, 1997; accessed Jun. 30, 2025).

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Verified:
Jun. 30, 2025

§ 844's source at ca​.gov