Posted: December 11th, 2022

“Texas has adopted a system of “determinate sentencing.”

6-1 AS Reply (100 words and 1 citation)
“Texas has implemented a “determinate sentencing” system.” This means that there are certain sentencing guidelines in Texas, which are standards put in place to establish rational and consistent sentencing practices in a specific jurisdiction (Gale Law Group, 2021).”
I chose to talk about misdemeanors because I was a little confused about the process. A, B, and C are clissified. There is no clear indication of cable service theft, and I believe stalking should be charged more severely. Where is the fine line between determining this is a felony and causing bodily harm now? I’m not sure why a terroristic threat is classified as Class B; this is far more serious than it appears here.

Class A misdemeanor; one year in jail; $4,000 fine Burglary; theft of property worth $500 or more but less than $1,500; cable service theft; stalking without bodily harm (The Texas Politics Project, n.d.).
Misdemeanor Class B-180 days in jail; $2,000 fine Theft of property worth at least $20 but less than $500; driving while intoxicated; possession of up to 4 ounces of marijuana; terroristic threats (The Texas Politics Project, n.d.).
Misdemeanor Class C-$500 fine Theft of property worth less than $20; assault without bodily harm; writing or selling term papers or reports for others’ use; and attending a dog fight (The Texas Politics Project, n.d.).
RC 6-1 Reply (100 words and 1 citation)
This week’s topic is criminally negligent homicide. 6-2-107. Homicide committed with criminal negligence.
(a) Except in the case of a violation of W.S. 6-2-106, a person is guilty of criminally negligent homicide if he causes the death of another person through criminal negligence.
(b) Criminally negligent homicide is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one (1) year in prison, a fine of up to two thousand dollars ($2,000.00), or both (Wyolegal, 2022)
This statute serves as a catch-all for causing someone’s death. As an example, imagine you and a friend were playing with a gun when it accidentally went off, shooting and killing your friend. If I were the suspect and killed someone, I would be grateful for this statute, but if I were the victim’s family, I might be upset that it was a misdemeanor. I believe it would apply to a very small number of accidents. This is important, in my opinion, because if it was a true accident, one mistake should not ruin 20 or more years of someone’s life.
6-1 XA in response (100 words and 1 citation)
I chose to write about arson sentencing in California for this discussion. “A person is guilty of arson when he or she willfully and maliciously sets fire to or burns or causes to be burned, or who aids, counsels, or procures the burning of, any structure, forest land, or property,” according to California Legislative Information. If someone is found to have arson “great bodily harm,” they will be sentenced to state prison for 5, 7, or 9 years, state prison for 3, 5, or 8 years for inhabited structure or property, and state prison for 2, 4, or 6 years for structure or forest land. One of the guidelines that I found interesting was that destroying one’s own property is not considered arson unless there is long-term injury or intent to defraud the structure, forest land, or property. Because of the significant impact on property damage, I believe that the sentencing for arson in California is fair; however, I would add that in addition to serving prison time, the arsonist should be held financially responsible for the damages.