California · Penal Code

PEN §4001.1: (a) No law enforcement or correctional official shall give, offer, or promise to give any monetary payment in excess of fifty dollars ($50) in return for an in-custody informant’s testimony in any cri

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

Law enforcement and correctional officials are prohibited from paying in-custody informants more than $50 for testimony in criminal cases, though certain documented expenses are permitted. Officers cannot take deliberate action beyond listening to elicit incriminating statements from defendants.

Read the full statutory text

(a) No law enforcement or correctional official shall give, offer, or promise to give any monetary payment in excess of fifty dollars ($50) in return for an in-custody informant’s testimony in any criminal proceeding. Nothing contained herein shall prohibit payments incidental to the informant’s testimony such as expenses incurred for witness or immediate family relocation, lodging, housing, meals, phone calls, travel, or witness fees authorized by law, provided those payments are supported by appropriate documentation demonstrating that the money was used for the purposes for which it was given. (b) No law enforcement agency and no in-custody informant acting as an agent for the agency, may take some action, beyond merely listening to statements of a defendant, that is deliberately designed to elicit incriminating remarks. (c) As used in this section, an “in-custody informant” means a person described in subdivision (a) of Section 1127a.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

Start your matter free Ask Law Link about this code

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.