Public record
The penal code and the case law
Anyone may read the penal code and the decisions the Department publishes. The Justice Services desk is where those two books are kept.
A charge
Each charge in the penal code is one row. Read it in this order.
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Code | The statute, such as a Penal Code, Vehicle Code, or Health and Safety section. |
| Charge name | The short name used when the charge is spoken or written on a filing. |
| Type | Felony, misdemeanor, infraction, or ordinance. |
| Description | What the offense is, in the words published with the charge. |
| Months in jail | The custody time published for that charge. |
| License points | Points assessed against a driver’s license, when the charge carries them. |
| Fine | The fine published for that charge. |
The Office of the Chief Prosecutor charges from this book. The Court sentences on the record of the case.
A decision
Case law is the set of decisions the Department has published. Each decision has four parts: the name of the decision, a short description, the date, and one PDF of the order. A case appears in that book when the Department publishes the decision.