| This is an excerpt from "Desecration of Historic Cemeteries: A Brief Assessment by the Texas Historical Commission"
(This is an excellent read for anyone who has concerns about the increased level of cemetery-related crimes.)
House Bill 1012, passed by the 79th Legislature, removed the provision concerning prosecution for desecration from the Health and Safety Code, where it was a class C misdemeanor, and placed it under Criminal Mischief, Penal Code 28.03 (f), which states: "f) An offense under this section is a state jail felony if the damage or destruction is inflicted on a place of worship or human burial, a public monument, or a community center that provides medical, social, or educational programs and the amount of the pecuniary loss to real property or to tangible personal property is less than $20,000." Chapter 28 of the Texas Penal Code can be found here; http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/PE/content/word/pe.007.00.000028.00.doc There are also efforts to amend Section 42.08 of the Texas Penal Code (Abuse of Corpses) to raise the penalties for conviction from a Class A misdemeanor to a felony charge. |
| Texas Historical Comission on Cemeteries http://www.thc.state.tx.us/cemeteries/cemWord/CemeteryDesecretionWhitePaper.doc |
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