LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 5Pt. 3Ch. 4Art. 4§ 20439 County Jail Officer Definition

§ 20439 County Jail Officer Definition

Government Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 20439 County Jail Officer Definition

Key Takeaways

  • •Jail workers who watch over prisoners are like police officers in the county.
  • •This does not include people like teachers, cooks, or clerks, even if they sometimes help with prisoners.
  • •This rule doesn’t apply to outside companies unless they agree to follow it in their contract.

Example

A person works in a county jail, making sure prisoners stay in their cells and follow the rules.

This person is treated like a police officer because their main job is watching prisoners, even if they aren’t officially called a deputy.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 20439 County Jail Officer Definition

“County peace officer” shall also include employees of the sheriff employed in a county jail, detention or correctional facility and having as their primary duty and responsibility the supervision and custody of persons committed to the jail or facility, whether or not these employees are deputized. It shall not include persons employed as clerks, typists, teachers, instructors, psychologists or to provide food, maintenance, health or supporting services, even though responsibility for custody and control of persons so committed may be incident to, or imposed in connection with, that service or the employees are deputized. This section shall not apply to any contracting agency nor to the employees of a contracting agency until the agency elects to be subject to this section by amendment to its contract with the board, made as provided in Section 20474 or by express provision in its contract with the board. (Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 379, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1996.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

County peace officersupervision and custodycontracting agency

Related Statutes

  • § 20431 Jail Officer Classification Rules
  • § 20438 County Juvenile Custody Officers
  • § 20440 Court Security Officer Definition
  • § 20441 County Park Ranger Officers
  • § 20420 Public Safety Employee Coverage

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 20439.
View Official Source