A general verdict upon a plea of not guilty is either “guilty” or “not guilty,” which imports a conviction or acquittal of the offense charged in the accusatory pleading. Upon a plea of a former conviction or acquittal of the offense charged, or upon a plea of once in jeopardy, the general verdict is either “for the people” or “for the defendant.” When the defendant is acquitted on the ground of a variance between the accusatory pleading and the proof, the verdict is “not guilty by reason of variance between charge and proof.”
Cal. Penal Code § 1151
The Verdict or Finding
Applied in 20 court decisions — leading case 10 Cal. 4th 463 - People v. Davis (1995)
Most recently applied in 10 Cal. 4th 463 - People v. Davis (June 1995)
Amended by Stats. 1951, Ch. 1674.
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Official source: California Legislative Information. Reproduced from public-domain California statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.