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HomeGovernment CodeCh. 2.3§ 68662 Capital Sentence Counsel Appointment

§ 68662 Capital Sentence Counsel Appointment

Government Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 68662 Capital Sentence Counsel Appointment

Key Takeaways

  • •If someone is sentenced to death and can't afford a lawyer, the court must offer them a free lawyer for appeals.
  • •The court checks if the person is too poor to pay for a lawyer before giving them one.
  • •If the person says no to the free lawyer, the court makes sure they really understand what they're giving up.
  • •If the person isn’t poor, the court won’t give them a free lawyer.

Example

A person is sentenced to death but has no money for a lawyer to help with their appeal.

The court will check if they’re really poor. If they are, the court will give them a free lawyer. If they say no to the lawyer, the court makes sure they know what that means. If they have money, they won’t get a free lawyer.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 68662 Capital Sentence Counsel Appointment

The superior court that imposed the sentence shall offer to appoint counsel to represent a state prisoner subject to a capital sentence for purposes of state postconviction proceedings, and shall enter an order containing one of the following: (a) The appointment of one or more counsel to represent the prisoner in proceedings pursuant to Section 1509 of the Penal Code upon a finding that the person is indigent and has accepted the offer to appoint counsel or is unable to competently decide whether to accept or reject that offer. (b) A finding, after a hearing if necessary, that the prisoner rejected the offer to appoint counsel and made that decision with full understanding of the legal consequences of the decision. (c) The denial to appoint counsel upon a finding that the person is not indigent. (Amended November 8, 2016, by initiative Proposition 66, Sec. 16.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

sentenceconvictionofferappealhearingdeathpenal codeamended november

Related Statutes

  • § 68663 Capital Case Counsel Restrictions
  • § 68660.5 Capital Habeas Corpus Procedures
  • § 68661 Death Penalty Legal Representation
  • § 68661.5 Life Without Parole Representation
  • § 68666 Death Penalty Counsel Compensation

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 68662.
View Official Source