Section 277 Of Chapter 4. Child Abduction From California Penal Code >> Title 9. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 4.
277
. The following definitions apply for the purposes of this
chapter:
(a) "Child" means a person under the age of 18 years.
(b) "Court order" or "custody order" means a custody determination
decree, judgment, or order issued by a court of competent
jurisdiction, whether permanent or temporary, initial or modified,
that affects the custody or visitation of a child, issued in the
context of a custody proceeding. An order, once made, shall continue
in effect until it expires, is modified, is rescinded, or terminates
by operation of law.
(c) "Custody proceeding" means a proceeding in which a custody
determination is an issue, including, but not limited to, an action
for dissolution or separation, dependency, guardianship, termination
of parental rights, adoption, paternity, except actions under Section
11350 or 11350.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, or protection
from domestic violence proceedings, including an emergency
protective order pursuant to Part 3 (commencing with Section 6240) of
Division 10 of the Family Code.
(d) "Lawful custodian" means a person, guardian, or public agency
having a right to custody of a child.
(e) A "right to custody" means the right to the physical care,
custody, and control of a child pursuant to a custody order as
defined in subdivision (b) or, in the absence of a court order, by
operation of law, or pursuant to the Uniform Parentage Act contained
in Part 3 (commencing with Section 7600) of Division 12 of the Family
Code. Whenever a public agency takes protective custody or
jurisdiction of the care, custody, control, or conduct of a child by
statutory authority or court order, that agency is a lawful custodian
of the child and has a right to physical custody of the child. In
any subsequent placement of the child, the public agency continues to
be a lawful custodian with a right to physical custody of the child
until the public agency's right of custody is terminated by an order
of a court of competent jurisdiction or by operation of law.
(f) In the absence of a court order to the contrary, a parent
loses his or her right to custody of the child to the other parent if
the parent having the right to custody is dead, is unable or refuses
to take the custody, or has abandoned his or her family. A natural
parent whose parental rights have been terminated by court order is
no longer a lawful custodian and no longer has a right to physical
custody.
(g) "Keeps" or "withholds" means retains physical possession of a
child whether or not the child resists or objects.
(h) "Visitation" means the time for access to the child allotted
to any person by court order.
(i) "Person" includes, but is not limited to, a parent or an agent
of a parent.
(j) "Domestic violence" means domestic violence as defined in
Section 6211 of the Family Code.
(k) "Abduct" means take, entice away, keep, withhold, or conceal.