California § 1370.5 - A person committed to a state hospital or other public or private mental health f

§ 1370.5. A person committed to a state hospital or other public or private mental health f

(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.