Criminal Attempt

From the Law Office of Alison Grinter in Dallas, Texas

1 Degree
2 Statute(s)
3 Caselaw
4 Collateral Consequences
5 Notes

Degree

Criminal Attempt is a charge that is dependent on the intent to commit another offense. Therefore, these cases are charged with reference to another criminal act, as in "Attempted Murder" or "Attempt to Commit Burglary." Per the statute, an Attempt charge is "one category lower than the offense attempted, and if the offense attempted is a state jail felony, the offense is a class A misdemeanor."

Statute(s)

§ 15.01. CRIMINAL ATTEMPT.

(a) A person commits an offense if, with specific intent to commit an offense, he does an act amounting to more than mere preparation that tends but fails to effect the commission of the offense intended.
(b) If a person attempts an offense that may be aggravated, his conduct constitutes an attempt to commit the aggravated offense if an element that aggravates the offense accompanies the attempt.
(c) It is no defense to prosecution for criminal attempt that the offense attempted was actually committed.
(d) An offense under this section is one category lower than the offense attempted, and if the offense attempted is a state jail felony, the offense is a Class A misdemeanor.

Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974.
Amended by Acts 1975, 64th Leg., p. 478, ch. 203, § 4, eff. Sept.
1, 1975; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, § 1.01, eff. Sept. 1,
1994.