Internal prototype — noindexed, not linked from public navigation yet.

Cal. WIC § 4021

This is the official text of Cal. WIC § 4021, part of California’s Welfare and Institutions Code — governs public social services, juvenile justice, and mental health/developmental disability services.

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

(a) When the department has reason to believe that a person held in custody as having a mental health disorder is wrongfully deprived of his or her liberty, or is cruelly or negligently treated, or that inadequate provision is made for the skillful medical care, proper supervision, and safekeeping of that person, it may ascertain the facts. It may issue compulsory process for the attendance of witnesses and the production of papers, and may exercise the powers conferred upon a referee in a superior court. It may make such orders for the care and treatment of such person as it deems proper.

(b) Whenever the department undertakes an investigation into the general management and administration of an establishment or place of detention for persons with mental health disorders, it may give notice of that investigation to the Attorney General, who shall appear personally or by deputy, to examine witnesses in attendance and to assist the department in the exercise of the powers conferred upon it in this code.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in California?

Find a California lawyer
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.