Cal. PEN § 988

This is the official text of Cal. PEN § 988, part of California’s Penal Code — defines crimes and sets criminal procedure in California.

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Official statutory text

The arraignment must be made by the court, or by the clerk or prosecuting attorney under its direction, and consists in reading the accusatory pleading to the defendant and delivering to the defendant a true copy thereof, and of the endorsements thereon, if any, including the list of witnesses, and asking the defendant whether the defendant pleads guilty or not guilty to the accusatory pleading; provided, that where the accusatory pleading is a complaint charging a misdemeanor, a copy of the same need not be delivered to any defendant unless requested by the defendant.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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