Absent actual or threatened violence, false imprisonment is a usually a misdemeanor under California Penal Code §237. California Penal Code § 236 PC defines false imprisonment as unlawfully restraining, detaining, or confining a person against his or her will.A false arrest is one way of committing false imprisonment. To prove false arrest, a person must prove three elements. A false imprisonment charge can be filed against you in a situation where you unlawfully deprive someone of their personal liberty. California law makes it illegal to restrain, detain or confine someone without their consent. Doing so is the crime of "false imprisonment." California Penal Code 236 PC describes the crime of false imprisonment as unlawfully depriving another person of their personal liberty. In California, false imprisonment is a wobbler, meaning it can be prosecuted as either a felony or a misdemeanor. Note that some form of "force" has to be used for any type of false imprisonment charge to hold.