Does section 654 of the California Criminal Code preclude multiple punishment for a single act or omission?
California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Rodriguez, F076864 (Cal. App. 2020):
As noted above, "[s]ection 654 precludes multiple punishment for a single act or omission, or an indivisible course of conduct." (People v. Deloza (1998) 18 Cal.4th 585, 591.) Section 654, subdivision (a) states: "An act or omission that is punishable in different ways by different provisions of law shall be punished under the provision that provides for the longest potential term of imprisonment, but in no case shall the act or omission be punished under more than one provision." (Italics added.) The purpose of
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section 654 is to ensure that a defendant's punishment will be commensurate with his culpability. (See, e.g., People v. Oates (2004) 32 Cal.4th 1048, 1063.)
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