I am taking Criminal Justice courses and my instructor asked the class about the death penalty as a crime deterrent. I answered the question, but I have a question about what I heard approximately 15 years ago about the death penalty. I was told that, in Texas, if a person ends the life of a police officer, then the penalty is death. Is this true back then and now?
Answer
The law hasn't changed on that--both then and now, murder of a peace officer who was lawfully discharging an official duty is a capital offense. However, saying "the penalty is death" is not quite correct. Because it's a capital offense, death is one possible punishment. However, it's certainly not automatic (if the jury fails to make certain findings which are required for a death sentence, a person convicted of capital murder instead receives life imprisonment).
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