71.20 Statutory History of Penal Code
Section 71.023
Comment
The offense of “directing activities of certain
criminal street gangs” was added to chapter 71 of the Penal Code
in 2009. As originally enacted, the section defined “criminal street
gang” narrowly, “[n]otwithstanding Section 71.01.” The offense was renamed
by the Eighty-third Legislature in 2013, deleting the word certain.
The section now uses the same definition of criminal street gang
applied to other offenses in chapter 71.
As revised in 2013, the offense now carries a mandatory minimum
sentence of twenty-five years, which may make it more attractive
to prosecutors.
Comment
The offense of “directing activities of certain criminal street gangs” was added to chapter 71 of the Penal Code in 2009. As originally enacted, the section defined “criminal street gang” narrowly, “[n]otwithstanding Section 71.01.” The offense was renamed by the Eighty-third Legislature in 2013, deleting the word certain. The section now uses the same definition of criminal street gang applied to other offenses in chapter 71.
As revised in 2013, the offense now carries a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty-five years, which may make it more attractive to prosecutors.