The rule of the common law, that penal statutes are to be strictly construed, has no application to this Code. All its provisions are to be construed according to the fair import of their terms, with a view to effect its objects and to promote justice.
Cal. Penal Code § 4
THE ACT
Known as the The Penal Code
The act spans §§ 1–24 (34 sections).
Applied in 107 court decisions — leading case 2 Cal. 3d 619 - Keeler v. Superior Court (1970)
Most recently applied in 4 Cal. 5th 1100 - People v. Ruiz (May 2018)
Enacted 1872.
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.