Pen. Code, § 288 · Chapter 5. Bigamy, Incest, and the Crime Against Nature
Pen. Code, § 288
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) Except as provided in subdivision (i), a person who willfully and lewdly commits any lewd or lascivious act, including any of the acts constituting other crimes provided for in Part 1, upon or with the body, or any part or member thereof, of a child who is under the age of 14 years, with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust, passions, or sexual desires of that person or the child, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for three, six, or eight years.
(b) (1) A person who commits an act described in subdivision (a) by use of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the victim or another person, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 5, 8, or 10 years.
(2) A person who is a caretaker and commits an act described in subdivision (a) upon a dependent person by use of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the victim or another person, with the intent described in subdivision (a), is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 5, 8, or 10 years.
(c) (1) A person who commits an act described in subdivision (a) with the intent described in that subdivision, and the victim is a child of 14 or 15 years, and that person is at least 10 years older than the child, is guilty of a public offense and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for one, two, or three years, or by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year. In determining whether the person is at least 10 years older than the child, the difference in age shall be measured from the birth date of the person to the birth date of the child.
(2) A person who is a caretaker and commits an act described in subdivision (a) upon a dependent person, with the intent described in subdivision (a), is guilty of a public offense and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for one, two, or three years, or by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year.
(d) In any arrest or prosecution under this section or Section 288.5, the peace officer, district attorney, and the court shall consider the needs of the child victim or dependent person and shall do whatever is necessary, within existing budgetary resources, and constitutionally permissible to prevent psychological harm to the child victim or to prevent psychological harm to the dependent person victim resulting from participation in the court process.
(e) (1) Upon the conviction of a person for a violation of subdivision (a) or (b), the court may, in addition to any other penalty or fine imposed, order the defendant to pay an additional fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000). In setting the amount of the fine, the court shall consider any relevant factors, including, but not limited to, the seriousness and gravity of the offense, the circumstances of its commission, whether the defendant derived any economic gain as a result of the crime, and the extent to which the victim suffered economic losses as a result of the crime. Every fine imposed and collected under this section shall be deposited in the Victim-Witness Assistance Fund to be available for appropriation to fund child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse victim counseling centers and prevention programs pursuant to Section 13837.
(2) If the court orders a fine imposed pursuant to this subdivision, the actual administrative cost of collecting that fine, not to exceed 2 percent of the total amount paid, may be paid into the general fund of the county treasury for the use and benefit of the county.
(f) For purposes of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) and paragraph (2) of subdivision (c), the following definitions apply:
(1) “Caretaker” means an owner, operator, administrator, employee, independent contractor, agent, or volunteer of any of the following public or private facilities when the facilities provide care for elder or dependent persons:
(A) Twenty-four hour health facilities, as defined in Sections 1250, 1250.2, and 1250.3 of the Health and Safety Code.
(B) Clinics.
(C) Home health agencies.
(D) Adult day health care centers.
(E) Secondary schools that serve dependent persons and postsecondary educational institutions that serve dependent persons or elders.
(F) Sheltered workshops.
(G) Camps.
(H) Community care facilities, as defined by Section 1402 of the Health and Safety Code, and residential care facilities for the elderly, as defined in Section 1569.2 of the Health and Safety Code.
(I) Respite care facilities.
(J) Foster homes.
(K) Regional centers for persons with developmental disabilities.
(L) A home health agency licensed in accordance with Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 1725) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code.
(M) An agency that supplies in-home supportive services.
(N) Board and care facilities.
(O) Any other protective or public assistance agency that provides health services or social services to elder or dependent persons, including, but not limited to, in-home supportive services, as defined in Section 14005.14 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(P) Private residences.
(2) “Board and care facilities” means licensed or unlicensed facilities that provide assistance with one or more of the following activities:
(A) Bathing.
(B) Dressing.
(C) Grooming.
(D) Medication storage.
(E) Medical dispensation.
(F) Money management.
(3) “Dependent person” means a person, regardless of whether the person lives independently, who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially restricts his or her ability to carry out normal activities or to protect his or her rights, including, but not limited to, persons who have physical or developmental disabilities or whose physical or mental abilities have significantly diminished because of age. “Dependent person” includes a person who is admitted as an inpatient to a 24-hour health facility, as defined in Sections 1250, 1250.2, and 1250.3 of the Health and Safety Code.
(g) Paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) and paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) apply to the owners, operators, administrators, employees, independent contractors, agents, or volunteers working at these public or private facilities and only to the extent that the individuals personally commit, conspire, aid, abet, or facilitate any act prohibited by paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) and paragraph (2) of subdivision (c).
(h) Paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) and paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) do not apply to a caretaker who is a spouse of, or who is in an equivalent domestic relationship with, the dependent person under care.
(i) (1) A person convicted of a violation of subdivision (a) shall be imprisoned in the state prison for life with the possibility of parole if the defendant personally inflicted bodily harm upon the victim.
(2) The penalty provided in this subdivision shall only apply if the fact that the defendant personally inflicted bodily harm upon the victim is pled and proved.
(3) As used in this subdivision, “bodily harm” means any substantial physical injury resulting from the use of force that is more than the force necessary to commit the offense.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 70, Sec. 2. (AB 1934) Effective January 1, 2019.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=288.
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This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Health and Safety Code
- Health & Saf. Code, § 1250Printed as Sections 1250, 1250.2, and 1250.3 of the Health and Safety Code
- Health & Saf. Code, § 1250.2Printed as Sections 1250, 1250.2, and 1250.3 of the Health and Safety Code
- Health & Saf. Code, § 1250.3Printed as Sections 1250, 1250.2, and 1250.3 of the Health and Safety Code
- Health & Saf. Code, § 1569.2Printed as Section 1569.2 of the Health and Safety Code
- Health & Saf. Code, div. 2, ch. 8Home Health AgenciesPrinted as Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 1725) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code
Penal Code
Welfare and Institutions Code
Cited by 121 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Pen. Code, § 288; the first 50 in book order. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Code of Civil Procedure
Military and Veterans Code
Penal Code
- Pen. Code, § 136.7Printed as Section 243.4, 261, 261.5, 264.1, 266, 266a, 266b, 266c, 266f, 285, 286, 287, 288, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 152.3Printed as Section 288 of the Penal Code
- Pen. Code, § 189Printed as Section 206, 286, 287, 288, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 190.2Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 207Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 209Printed as Section 264.1, 288, 289
- Pen. Code, § 220Printed as Section 264.1, 288, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 266jPrinted as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 273.7Printed as Sections 240, 242, 243.4, 261, 261.5, 264.1, 266, 266a, 266b, 266c, 266f, 273.5, 273.6, 285, 288, and 289
- Pen. Code, § 286Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 287Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 288.3Printed as Section 207, 209, 261, 264.1, 273a, 286, 287, 288, 288.2, 289, 311.1, 311.2, 311.4 or 311.11
- Pen. Code, § 288.5Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 289Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 290Printed as Section 261, 286, 287, 288, or 289 | Section 266j, 267, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288, 288.3, 288.4, 288.5, 288.7, 289, or 311.1 | Section 286, 287, 288, or 289 | Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 290.008Printed as Section 261, 286, 287, 288, or 289 | Section 264.1, 288, or 289 | Section 288 or 288.5
- Pen. Code, § 290.46Printed as Section 261, 286, 287, 288, or 289 | Section 286, 287, 288, or 289 | Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 290.5Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 292Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 311.4Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 314Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 368.6Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 502.01Printed as Section 288, 288.2, 311.1, 311.2, 311.3, 311.4, 311.5, 311.10, 311.11, 422, 470, 470a, 472, 475, 476, 480, 483.5, 484g | Section 288, 288.2, 311.1, 311.2, 311.3, 311.4, 311.5, 311.10, 311.11, 470, 470a, 472, 475, 476, 480, 483.5, 484g | Section 288, 288.2, 311.1, 311.2, 311.3, 311.4, 311.5, 311.10,
- Pen. Code, § 502.9Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 515Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 525Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 645Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 647.6Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 653fPrinted as Section 264.1, 288, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 667Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 667.5Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 667.51Printed as Section 261, 264.1, 269, 285, 286, 287, 288, 288.5, or 289 | Section 288 or 288.5
- Pen. Code, § 667.6Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 667.61Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 667.71Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 667.8Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 667.15Printed as Section 288 | Section 288 or 288.5
- Pen. Code, § 674Printed as Section 261, 285, 286, 287, 288, or 289
- Pen. Code, § 675Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 679.02Printed as Section 261, 286, 287, 288, or 289 | Section 264.1, 288, or 289 | Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 799Printed as Section 288
- Pen. Code, § 801.1Printed as Section 261, 286, 287, 288, 288.5, or 289
Welfare and Institutions Code
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