SB 620: unwarranted firearm enhancements

What is SENATE BILL 620 (SB 620)?

SB 620 amended existing California law related to mandatory firearm enhancements, allowing judges to strike, dismiss, or tailor the duration of a firearm enhancement depending on each individual’s circumstances.[334] Before this change, judges were required to impose specific firearm enhancements every time a gun was used in the commission of a felony.[335]

  1. 334

    Cal. State Senator Steven Bradford, “Governor Signs SB 620 Allowing Judges to Strike Unwarranted Sentence Enhancements” (Oct. 11, 2017), available at http://sd35.senate.ca.gov/news/2017-10-11-governor-signs-sb-620-allowing-judges-strike-unwarranted-sentence-enhancements.

  2. 335

    Legislative Counsel’s Digest, Senate Bill No. 620 (Oct. 10, 2017), available at https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB620.

How can SENATE BILL 620 (SB 620) help me?

SB 620 is NOT retroactive, which means it will not apply to criminal cases that are already final — unless you are being resentenced pursuant to another law.[336] If you are convicted of a felony that involved a firearm but have not been sentenced, the judge has the option to dismiss your firearm enhancement entirely “in the interest of justice,” or reduce the time added on to your sentence.[337]

  1. 336

    Cal. Pen. Code § 12022.5(c);

  2. 337

    Cal. Pen. Code § 12022.5(c);