LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT
 
85TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
March 28, 2017

TO:
Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
 
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
SB1575 by Perry (Relating to the prosecution of the offenses of assault and harassment by persons committed to certain facilities; increasing a criminal penalty.), As Introduced

The provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions are the subject of this analysis. The bill would amend the Penal Code as it relates to offenses in civil commitment facilities or by those residing in civil commitment facilities. Under the provisions of the bill, harassment and certain assault, committed against certain individuals while those individuals were engaging in official duties, would be punishable as a third degree felony. Under existing statute, assault is a Class A Misdemeanor.
 
A third degree felony is punishable by confinement in prison for a term from 2 to 10 years and, in addition to confinement, an optional fine not to exceed $10,000.
 
Expanding the list of behaviors for which a criminal penalty is applied is expected to result in increased demands upon the correctional resources of counties or of the State due to a potential increase in the number of individuals sentenced to a term of supervision in the community or a term of confinement within state correctional institutions. However, this analysis assumes the provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions would not result in a significant impact on the demand for state correctional resources.


Source Agencies:
LBB Staff:
UP, LM, RFL