Court Opinions

State Laws

US Code

US Constitution

California Penal Code Section 1016.5

Legal Research Home > California Laws > Penal Code > California Penal Code Section 1016.5

(a) Prior to acceptance of a plea of guilty or nolo
contendere to any offense punishable as a crime under state law,
except offenses designated as infractions under state law, the court
shall administer the following advisement on the record to the
defendant:
   If you are not a citizen, you are hereby advised that conviction
of the offense for which you have been charged may have the
consequences of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United
States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of the
United States.
   (b) Upon request, the court shall allow the defendant additional
time to consider the appropriateness of the plea in light of the
advisement as described in this section. If, after January 1, 1978,
the court fails to advise the defendant as required by this section
and the defendant shows that conviction of the offense to which
defendant pleaded guilty or nolo contendere may have the consequences
for the defendant of deportation, exclusion from admission to the
United States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of
the United States, the court, on defendant's motion, shall vacate the
judgment and permit the defendant to withdraw the plea of guilty or
nolo contendere, and enter a plea of not guilty. Absent a record that
the court provided the advisement required by this section, the
defendant shall be presumed not to have received the required
advisement.
   (c) With respect to pleas accepted prior to January 1, 1978, it is
not the intent of the Legislature that a court's failure to provide
the advisement required by subdivision (a) of Section 1016.5 should
require the vacation of judgment and withdrawal of the plea or
constitute grounds for finding a prior conviction invalid. Nothing in
this section, however, shall be deemed to inhibit a court, in the
sound exercise of its discretion, from vacating a judgment and
permitting a defendant to withdraw a plea.
   (d) The Legislature finds and declares that in many instances
involving an individual who is not a citizen of the United States
charged with an offense punishable as a crime under state law, a plea
of guilty or nolo contendere is entered without the defendant
knowing that a conviction of such offense is grounds for deportation,
exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of
naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States. Therefore,
it is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this section to
promote fairness to such accused individuals by requiring in such
cases that acceptance of a guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere be
preceded by an appropriate warning of the special consequences for
such a defendant which may result from the plea. It is also the
intent of the Legislature that the court in such cases shall grant
the defendant a reasonable amount of time to negotiate with the
prosecuting agency in the event the defendant or the defendant's
counsel was unaware of the possibility of deportation, exclusion from
admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization as a
result of conviction. It is further the intent of the Legislature
that at the time of the plea no defendant shall be required to
disclose his or her legal status to the court.

Last modified: February 13, 2012