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HomePenal CodeRape Of Incapacitated PersonsPt. 1Ch. 1§ 261 Rape Of Incapacitated Persons

§ 261 Rape Of Incapacitated Persons

Penal Code·California
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AI SummaryVerified

§ 261 Rape Of Incapacitated Persons

This law says it's rape if someone forces another person to have sex when the victim can't or doesn't agree to it. It lists different ways this can happen, like using force, threats, or tricking someone.

Key Takeaways

  • •Rape is when someone forces or tricks another person into having sex without their clear agreement.
  • •It includes situations where the victim is unconscious, drunk, or scared into saying yes.
  • •Even if someone doesn't say 'no,' it can still be rape if they couldn't really agree.

Example

A person gives another person a drink with a drug in it that makes them pass out. While the other person is unconscious, the first person has sex with them.

This is rape because the victim was unconscious and couldn't agree to have sex. The person who gave the drink knew or should have known the other person couldn't say yes.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 261 Rape Of Incapacitated Persons

(a) Rape is an act of sexual intercourse accomplished under any of the following circumstances: (1) If a person who is not the spouse of the person committing the act is incapable, because of a mental disorder or developmental or physical disability, of giving legal consent, and this is known or reasonably should be known to the person committing the act. Notwithstanding the existence of a conservatorship pursuant to the provisions of the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (Part 1 (commencing with Section 5000) of Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code), the prosecuting attorney shall prove, as an element of the crime, that a mental disorder or developmental or physical disability rendered the alleged victim incapable of giving consent. This paragraph does not preclude the prosecution of a spouse committing the act from being prosecuted under any other paragraph of this subdivision or any other law. (2) If it is accomplished against a person’s will by means of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the person or another. (3) If a person is prevented from resisting by an intoxicating or anesthetic substance, or a controlled substance, and this condition was known, or reasonably should have been known by the accused. (4) If a person is at the time unconscious of the nature of the act, and this is known to the accused. As used in this paragraph, “unconscious of the nature of the act” means incapable of resisting because the victim meets any one of the following conditions: (A) Was unconscious or asleep. (B) Was not aware, knowing, perceiving, or cognizant that the act occurred. (C) Was not aware, knowing, perceiving, or cognizant of the essential characteristics of the act due to the perpetrator’s fraud in fact. (D) Was not aware, knowing, perceiving, or cognizant of the essential characteristics of the act due to the perpetrator’s fraudulent representation that the sexual penetration served a professional purpose when it served no professional purpose. (5) If a person submits under the belief that the person committing the act is someone known to the victim other than the accused, and this belief is induced by artifice, pretense, or concealment practiced by the accused, with intent to induce the belief. (6) If the act is accomplished against the victim’s will by threatening to retaliate in the future against the victim or any other person, and there is a reasonable possibility that the perpetrator will execute the threat. As used in this paragraph, “threatening to retaliate” means a threat to kidnap or falsely imprison, or to inflict extreme pain, serious bodily injury, or death. (7) If the act is accomplished against the victim’s will by threatening to use the authority of a public official to incarcerate, arrest, or deport the victim or another, and the victim has a reasonable belief that the perpetrator is a public official. As used in this paragraph, “public official” means a person employed by a governmental agency who has the authority, as part of that position, to incarcerate, arrest, or deport another. The perpetrator does not actually have to be a public official. (b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “Duress” means a direct or implied threat of force, violence, danger, or retribution sufficient to coerce a reasonable person of ordinary susceptibilities to perform an act which otherwise would not have been performed, or acquiesce in an act to which one otherwise would not have submitted. The total circumstances, including the age of the victim, and the victim’s relationship to the defendant, are factors to consider in appraising the existence of duress. (2) “Menace” means any threat, declaration, or act that shows an intention to inflict an injury upon another. (Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 626, Sec. 17. (AB 1171) Effective January 1, 2022.)

Last verified: January 9, 2026

Key Terms

disabilityduressmenacecrimetoxicfraudnetinjury

Related Statutes

  • § 265 Forced Marriage Or Defilement
  • § 264.2 Victim Notification Requirements
  • § 368.6 Senior Disability Justice Act
  • § 100 Printing Superintendent Fraud Penalties
  • § 1065 Jury Challenge Discharge Rules

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Penal Code. Section 261.
View Official Source