Texas Penal Code 38.111 – Improper Contact With Victim
(a) A person commits an offense if the person, while confined in a correctional facility after being charged with or convicted of an offense listed in Article 62.001(5), Code of Criminal Procedure, contacts by letter, telephone, or any other means, either directly or through a third party, a victim of the offense or a member of the victim’s family, if the director of the correctional facility has not, before the person makes contact with the victim:
(1) received written and dated consent to the contact from:
(A) the victim, if the victim was 17 years of age or older at the time of the commission of the offense for which the person is confined; or
(B) if the victim was younger than 17 years of age at the time of the commission of the offense for which the person is confined:
(i) a parent of the victim;
(ii) a legal guardian of the victim;
(iii) the victim, if the victim is 17 years of age or older at the time of giving the consent; or
(iv) a member of the victim’s family who is 17 years of age or older; and
(2) provided the person with a copy of the consent.
(b) The person confined in a correctional facility may not give the written consent required under Subsection (a)(2)(A).
Terms Used In Texas Penal Code 38.111
- Actor: means a person whose criminal responsibility is in issue in a criminal action. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Consent: means assent in fact, whether express or apparent. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Correctional facility: means a place designated by law for the confinement of a person arrested for, charged with, or convicted of a criminal offense. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Felony: means an offense so designated by law or punishable by death or confinement in a penitentiary. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Misdemeanor: means an offense so designated by law or punishable by fine, by confinement in jail, or by both fine and confinement in jail. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Person: means an individual or a corporation, association, limited liability company, or other entity or organization governed by the Business Organizations Code. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Written: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(c) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the contact was:
(1) indirect contact made through an attorney representing the person in custody; and
(2) solely for the purpose of representing the person in a criminal proceeding.
(d) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor unless the actor is confined in a correctional facility after being convicted of a felony described by Subsection (a), in which event the offense is a felony of the third degree.
(e) In this section, “correctional facility” means:
(1) any place described by § 1.07(a)(14); or
(2) a “secure correctional facility” or “secure detention facility” as those terms are defined by § 51.02, Family Code.