CHAPTER 1. Executing Death Penalty [3600. - 3607.]

Cal. Penal Code - PEN 1.
in effect

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3600. Section 3600.

Every male person, upon whom has been imposed the judgment of death, shall be delivered to the warden of the California state prison designated by the department for the execution of the death penalty. The inmate shall be kept in a California prison until execution of the judgment. The department may transfer the inmate to another prison which it determines to provide a level of security sufficient for that inmate. The inmate shall be returned to the prison designated for execution of the death penalty after an execution date has been set.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3601. Section 3601.

Every female person, upon whom has been imposed the judgment of death, shall be delivered to the warden of the Central California Women’s Facility, there to be held pending decision upon appeal.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3602. Section 3602.

Upon the affirmance of her appeal, the female person sentenced to death shall thereafter be delivered to the warden of the California state prison designated by the department for the execution of the death penalty, not earlier than three days before the day upon which judgment is to be executed; provided, however, that in the event of a commutation of sentence said female prisoner shall be returned to the Central California Women’s Facility, there to be confined pursuant to such commutation.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3604. Section 3604.

(a) The punishment of death shall be inflicted by the administration of a lethal gas or by an intravenous injection of a substance or substances in a lethal quantity sufficient to cause death, by standards established under the direction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. (b) Persons sentenced to death prior to or after the operative date of this subdivision shall have the opportunity to elect to have the punishment imposed by lethal gas or lethal injection. This choice shall be made in writing and shall be submitted to the warden pursuant to regulations established by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. If a person under sentence of death does not choose either lethal gas or lethal injection within 10 days after the warden’s service upon the inmate of an execution warrant issued following the operative date of this subdivision, the penalty of death shall be imposed by lethal injection. (c) Where the person sentenced to death is not executed on the date set for execution and a new execution date is subsequently set, the inmate again shall have the opportunity to elect to have punishment imposed by lethal gas or lethal injection, according to the procedures set forth in subdivision (b). (d) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), if either manner of execution described in subdivision (a) is held invalid, the punishment of death shall be imposed by the alternative means specified in subdivision (a). (e) The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, or any successor agency with the duty to execute judgments of death, shall maintain at all times the ability to execute such judgments.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3604.1. Section 3604.1.

(a) The Administrative Procedure Act shall not apply to standards, procedures, or regulations promulgated pursuant to Section 3604. The department shall make the standards adopted under subdivision (a) of that section available to the public and to inmates sentenced to death. The department shall promptly notify the Attorney General, the State Public Defender, and counsel for any inmate for whom an execution date has been set or for whom a motion to set an execution date is pending of any adoption or amendment of the standards. Noncompliance with this subdivision is not a ground for stay of an execution or an injunction against carrying out an execution unless the noncompliance has actually prejudiced the inmate’s ability to challenge the standard, and in that event the stay shall be limited to a maximum of 10 days. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 3604, an execution by lethal injection may be carried out by means of an injection other than intravenous if the warden determines that the condition of the inmate makes intravenous injection impractical. (c) The court which rendered the judgment of death has exclusive jurisdiction to hear any claim by the condemned inmate that the method of execution is unconstitutional or otherwise invalid. Such a claim shall be dismissed if the court finds its presentation was delayed without good cause. If the method is found invalid, the court shall order the use of a valid method of execution. If the use of a method of execution is enjoined by a federal court, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall adopt, within 90 days, a method that conforms to federal requirements as found by that court. If the department fails to perform any duty needed to enable it to execute the judgment, the court which rendered the judgment of death shall order it to perform that duty on its own motion, on motion of the District Attorney or Attorney General, or on motion of any victim of the crime as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 28 of Article I of the California Constitution.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3604.3. Section 3604.3.

(a) A physician may attend an execution for the purpose of pronouncing death and may provide advice to the department for the purpose of developing an execution protocol to minimize the risk of pain to the inmate. (b) The purchase of drugs, medical supplies or medical equipment necessary to carry out an execution shall not be subject to the provisions of Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 4000) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code, and any pharmacist, or supplier, compounder, or manufacturer of pharmaceuticals is authorized to dispense drugs and supplies to the secretary or the secretary’s designee, without prescription, for carrying out the provisions of this chapter. (c) No licensing board, department, commission, or accreditation agency that oversees or regulates the practice of health care or certifies or licenses health care professionals may deny or revoke a license or certification, censure, reprimand, suspend, or take any other disciplinary action against any licensed health care professional for any action authorized by this section.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3605. Section 3605.

(a) The warden of the state prison where the execution is to take place shall be present at the execution and shall, subject to any applicable requirement or definition set forth in subdivision (b), invite the presence of the Attorney General, the members of the immediate family of the victim or victims of the defendant, and at least 12 reputable citizens, to be selected by the warden. The warden shall, at the request of the defendant, permit those ministers of the Gospel, not exceeding two, as the defendant may name, and any persons, relatives or friends, not to exceed five, to be present at the execution, together with those peace officers or any other Department of Corrections employee as he or she may think expedient, to witness the execution. But no other persons than those specified in this section may be present at the execution, nor may any person under 18 years of age be allowed to witness the execution. (b) (1) For purposes of an invitation required by subdivision (a) to members of the immediate family of the victim or victims of the defendant, the warden of the state prison where the execution is to take place shall make the invitation only if a member of the immediate family of the victim or victims of the defendant so requests in writing. In the event that a written request is made, the warden of the state prison where the execution is to take place shall automatically make the invitation 30 days prior to the date of an imminent execution or as close to this date as practicable. (2) For purposes of this section, “immediate family” means those persons who are related by blood, adoption, or marriage, within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity. (c) No physician or any other person invited pursuant to this section, whether or not employed by the Department of Corrections, shall be compelled to attend the execution, and any physician’s attendance shall be voluntary. A physician’s or any other person’s refusal to attend the execution shall not be used in any disciplinary action or negative job performance citation.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3607. Section 3607.

After the execution, the warden must make a return upon the death warrant to the clerk of the court by which the judgment was rendered, showing the time, mode, and manner in which it was executed.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

Starting a business in California? California LLC guide: costs and requirements