Texas Historical Statutes Project Texas Penal Code 1984 S S as tat A B ex e X T A E R T L F O U N D A T I O N L This project was made possible by the Texas State Law Library and a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation. Digitized with permission from Texas Penal Code WITH TABLES AND INDEX TEXAS STATE LAW LIBRARY As Amended through the _1983 Regular and First Called Sessions of the 68th Legislature WEST PUBLISHING CO. ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA Reprinted from Texas Penal Code Fifth Edition COPYRIGHT© 1976, 1977, 1979, 1961, 1983 WEST PUBLISHING CO. COPYRIGHT© 1984 By \'XEST PUBLISHING CO. WTSC Penal PREFACE This Pamphlet contains the text of the Penal Code as amended through the 1983 Regular and First Called Sessions of the 68th Legisla­ ture. The Penal Code constitutes a unit of the Texas Legislative Coun­ cil's statutory revision program. The Code was originally enacted by Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., ch. 399. Table 1, Disposition, and Table 2, Derivation, are furnished, thus providing a means of tracing repealed subject matter into the Code and, on the other hand, of searching out the source of the Code sections. Pursuant to section 5 of Chapter 399, the Texas Legislative Council has compiled a table showing the disposition of unrepealed articles of the Penal Code of 1925, which is also included herein as Table 3. A detailed descriptive word Index at the end of the Code is furnished to facilitate the search for specific textual provisions. Comprehensive coverage of the judicial constructions and in­ terpretations of the Code, together with cross references, references to law review commentaries discussing particular provisions, and other editorial features, is provided in the volumes of Vernon's Texas Stat­ utes and Codes Annotated. THE PUBLISHER July, 1984 * WTSC Penal III TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Preface ------------------------------------------------------ III Effective Dates __ ------- __ ------ _" --------------------------- IX Tables 1. Disposition _______________________ ------- _--------- __ _ XI 2. Derivation ------------------------------------------- XIX 3. Disposition of U nrepealed Penal Code Articles __________ XXIX TEXAS PENAL CODE Section Analysis, see beginning of each Chapter TITLE 1. INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS Chapter 1. General Provisions __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 2. Burden of Proof ------------------------------------------ 5 3. Multiple Prosecutions ______________________ - __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 TITLE 2. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY 6. Culpability Generally __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7 7. Criminal Responsibility for Conduct of Another __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 8 Subchapter A. Complicity __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 8 B. Corporations and Associations __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 8 8. General Defenses to Criminal Responsibility __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9 9. Justification Excluding Criminal Responsibility __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11 Subchapter A. General Provisions __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11 B. Justification Generally __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12 C. Protection of Persons __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12 D. Protection of Property __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 13 E. Law Enforcement ______ ~ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 14 F. Special Relationships __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15 TITLE 3. PUNISHMENTS 12. Punishments __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15 Subchapter A. General Provisions __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15 B. Ordinary Misdemeanor Punishments __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 16 C. Ordinary Felony Punishment~ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 16 D. Exceptional Sentences -------------------------------- 17 E. Corporations and Associations __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 18. WTSCPenal V TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE 4. INCHOATE OFFENSES Chapter Page 15. Preparatory Offenses __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 18 16. Criminal Instruments and Interception of Wire or Oral Com­ munication --------------------------------------------- 20 TITLE 5. OFFENSES AGAINST THE PERSON 19. Criminal Homicide __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 21 20. Kidnapping and False Imprisonment ----------------------- 23 21. · Sexual Offenses __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 23 22. Assaultive Offenses __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 25 TITLE 6. OFFENSES AGAINST THE FAMILY 25. Offenses Against the Family __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 29 TITLE 7. OFFENSES AGAINST PROPERTY 28. Arson, Criminal Mischief, and Other Property Damage or De- struction ----------------------------------------------- 32 29. Robbery ------------------------------------------------- 34 30. Burglary and Criminal Trespass __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 34 31. Theft ---------------------------------------------------- 35 32. Fraud --------------------------------------------------- 40 Subchapter A. General Provisions __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 41 B. Forgery --------------------------------------------- 41 C. Credit ----------------------------------------------- 42 D. Other Deceptive Practices __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 44 TITLE 8. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 36. Bribery and Corrupt Influence __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 47 37. Perjury and Other Falsification --------------------------- 49 38. Obstructing Governmental Operation __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 51 39. Abuse of Office __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 54 TITLE 9. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND DECENCY 42. Disorderly Conduct and Related Offenses ____________ ~ __ _ _ _ _ 55 43. Public Indecency __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 59 Subchapter A. Prostitution __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 59 B.