California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Davis, 15 Cal.4th 1096, 64 Cal.Rptr.2d 879, 938 P.2d 938 (Cal. 1997):
The majority's holding also violates the time-honored rule that "ambiguous penal statutes are construed to favor the defendant." (People v. Superior Court (Romero) (1996) 13 Cal.4th 497, 530, 53 Cal.Rptr.2d 789, 917 P.2d 628.) As this court said 107 years ago, "the defendant [in a criminal case] is entitled to the benefit of every reasonable doubt ... as to the true interpretation of words or the construction of language used in a statute...." (Ex Parte Rosenheim (1890) 83 Cal. 388, 391, 23 P. 372.)
[15 Cal.4th 1115]
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