People v. Reynolds

Opinion

THE COURT. *

A jury convicted William Osborne Reynolds of possessing a sharp instrument while lawfully confined in a state prison, in violation of Penal Code section 4502. FE Reynolds’s sole contention on appeal is that the trial court committed prejudicial error by failing to instruct the jury, sua sponte, that he could only be convicted if the jury found that he knowingly possessed the instrument. We agree and reverse the judgment of conviction.

Facts

On August 21, 1987, Reynolds was an inmate at the California Correctional Institution at Tehachapi (CCI). On that date, Correctional…