Does section 654, subdivision (a) of the California Criminal Code allow a defendant to be punished for more than one crime?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Hardy, E060163 (Cal. App. 2015):

Section 654, subdivision (a), provides, "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." This prohibition on multiple punishments extends to an indivisible course of conduct. (People v. Leonard (2014) 228 Cal.App.4th 465, 498.) "'"Whether a course of criminal conduct is divisible and therefore gives rise to more than one act within the meaning of section 654 depends on the intent and objective of the actor. If all of the offenses were incident to one objective, the defendant may be punished for any one of such offenses but not for more than one."'" (Id. at pp. 498-499.)

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