Section 1370.5 Of Chapter 6. Inquiry Into The Competence Of The Defendant Before Trial Or After Conviction From California Penal Code >> Title 10. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 6.
1370.5
. (a) A person committed to a state hospital or other public
or private mental health facility pursuant to the provisions of
Section 1370, 1370.01, 1370.02, or 1370.1, who escapes from or who
escapes while being conveyed to or from a state hospital or facility,
is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed one
year or in the state prison for a determinate term of one year and
one day. The term of imprisonment imposed pursuant to this section
shall be served consecutively to any other sentence or commitment.
(b) The medical director or person in charge of a state hospital
or other public or private mental health facility to which a person
has been committed pursuant to the provisions of Section 1370,
1370.01, 1370.02, or 1370.1 shall promptly notify the chief of police
of the city in which the hospital or facility is located, or the
sheriff of the county if the hospital or facility is located in an
unincorporated area, of the escape of the person, and shall request
the assistance of the chief of police or sheriff in apprehending the
person, and shall within 48 hours of the escape of the person orally
notify the court that made the commitment, the prosecutor in the
case, and the Department of Justice of the escape.