Cal. PEN § 679.01
This is the official text of Cal. PEN § 679.01, part of California’s Penal Code — defines crimes and sets criminal procedure in California.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
As used in this title, the following definitions shall control:
(a) “Crime” means an act committed in this state which, if committed by a competent adult, would constitute a misdemeanor or felony.
(b) “Victim” means a person against whom a crime has been committed.
(c) “Witness” means any person who has been or is expected to testify for the prosecution, or who, by reason of having relevant information, is subject to call or likely to be called as a witness for the prosecution, whether or not any action or proceeding has yet been commenced.
(a) “Crime” means an act committed in this state which, if committed by a competent adult, would constitute a misdemeanor or felony.
(b) “Victim” means a person against whom a crime has been committed.
(c) “Witness” means any person who has been or is expected to testify for the prosecution, or who, by reason of having relevant information, is subject to call or likely to be called as a witness for the prosecution, whether or not any action or proceeding has yet been commenced.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a criminal defense matter in California?
See all California Criminal Defense lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.