California · Code of Civil Procedure - CCP

CCP §242: (a) Following the receipt of a verdict and before discharging the jury in a criminal action or proceeding alleging a violent felony, the court shall provide written information to the trial jurors abo

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

Courts must provide written mental health information to jurors after verdicts in violent felony cases, developed by the Judicial Council, covering trauma symptoms and coping resources.

Read the full statutory text

(a) Following the receipt of a verdict and before discharging the jury in a criminal action or proceeding alleging a violent felony, the court shall provide written information to the trial jurors about mental health awareness, including information about stress relief and symptoms that may be experienced following exposure to trauma. (b) Following the receipt of a verdict in a criminal action or proceeding alleging a violent felony, the court shall distribute, in a manner determined by the court, information to the alternate jurors who have been discharged from their duty about mental health awareness, including information about stress relief and symptoms that may be experienced following exposure to trauma. (c) At the conclusion of a criminal action or proceeding alleging a violent felony in which evidence was presented, but a verdict was not rendered by the jury, the court shall provide written information about mental health awareness, including information about stress relief and symptoms that may be experienced following exposure to trauma, before discharging the jury and alternate jurors. The information shall only be provided after the jurors and alternate jurors are no longer responsible for rendering a verdict in the trial. (d) The court may share this information with jurors and alternate jurors following the conclusion of a criminal action or proceeding alleging an offense that is not a violent felony. (e) The Judicial Council shall develop the written educational information that the court shall print and distribute pursuant to this section. The information shall include, but shall not be limited to, the signs and symptoms of distress, healthy coping mechanisms, and how to seek help for exposure to trauma if needed. (f) For the purposes of this section, “violent felony” has the same definition as in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5 of the Penal Code.

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