Pen. Code, § 4903 · Chapter 5. Indemnity for Persons Erroneously Convicted and Pardoned
Pen. Code, § 4903
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) Except as provided in Sections 851.865 and 1485.55, and in subdivision (b) of Section 4900, the board shall fix a time and place for the hearing of the claim. At the hearing the claimant shall introduce evidence in support of the claim, and the Attorney General may introduce evidence in opposition thereto. The claimant shall prove the facts set forth in the statement constituting the claim, including the fact that the crime with which they were charged was either not committed at all, or, if committed, was not committed by the claimant, and the injury sustained by them through their erroneous conviction and incarceration.
(b) For claims falling within subdivision (b) of Section 4900 in which the Attorney General objects to the claim pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 4902, the board shall fix a time and place for the hearing of the claim. At the hearing, the Attorney General shall bear the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the claimant committed the acts constituting the offense. The claimant may introduce evidence in support of the claim.
(c) In a hearing before the board, the factual findings and credibility determinations establishing the court’s basis for writ of habeas corpus, a motion to vacate pursuant to Section 1473.6 or paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 1473.7, or an application for a certificate of factual innocence as described in Section 1485.5 shall be binding on the Attorney General, the factfinder, and the board.
(d) A conviction reversed and dismissed is no longer valid, thus the Attorney General may not rely on the fact that the state still maintains that the claimant is guilty of the crime for which they were wrongfully convicted, that the state defended the conviction against the claimant through court litigation, or that there was a conviction to establish that the claimant is not entitled to compensation. The Attorney General may also not rely solely on the trial record to establish that the claimant is not entitled to compensation.
(e) The board shall deny payment of any claim if the board finds by a preponderance of the evidence that a claimant pled guilty with the specific intent to protect another from prosecution for the underlying conviction for which the claimant is seeking compensation.
(f) A presumption does not exist in any other proceeding if the claim for compensation is denied pursuant to this section. No res judicata or collateral estoppel finding shall be made in any other proceeding if the claim for compensation is denied pursuant to this section.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 490, Sec. 5. (SB 446) Effective January 1, 2022.
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=4903.
- Text hash
- sha256 5a56719531469f75d17fa177d98dbae204b04e2209bc063733037dc61d2da45f
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
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.
Penal Code
- Pen. Code, § 851.865Printed as Sections 851.865 and 1485.55
- Pen. Code, § 1473.6Printed as Section 1473.6
- Pen. Code, § 1473.7Printed as Section 1473.7
- Pen. Code, § 1485.5Printed as Section 1485.5
- Pen. Code, § 1485.55Printed as Sections 851.865 and 1485.55
- Pen. Code, § 4900Printed as Section 4900
- Pen. Code, § 4902Printed as Section 4902
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.