Comments on: Texas Murder Sentences: Probation to Death http://bennettandbennett.com/blog/2007/11/texas-murder-sentences-probation-to.html the art and science of criminal defense trial lawyering Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:24:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Mark Bennett http://bennettandbennett.com/blog/2007/11/texas-murder-sentences-probation-to.html/comment-page-1#comment-667 Mark Bennett Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:11:00 +0000 http://bennettandbennett.com/blog/?p=393#comment-667 Anon,<br/><br/>The jury is told what the effect of the parole and good time laws might be (for example, a person sent to prison for murder will be eligible for parole when he has actually served half his sentence). Then it is told not to consider that in deciding on the proper sentence. Anon,

The jury is told what the effect of the parole and good time laws might be (for example, a person sent to prison for murder will be eligible for parole when he has actually served half his sentence). Then it is told not to consider that in deciding on the proper sentence.

]]> By: Anonymous http://bennettandbennett.com/blog/2007/11/texas-murder-sentences-probation-to.html/comment-page-1#comment-664 Anonymous Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:52:00 +0000 http://bennettandbennett.com/blog/?p=393#comment-664 Thanks for a great post, and a good explanation of why criminal laws in Texas generaly allow for such widely disparate sentences. While they occasionally result in extreme sentences (both upward and downward) that don't seem to fit the circumstances, they've always seemed to me to allow, in the main, juries and judges to sentence according to the facts of the case, rather than some (invariably) heavy-handed manditory minimum foolishness.<br/><br/>But here's a question: in a criminal felony case, how much are jurors actually allowed to know about the actual, practical sentencing that will follow their verdict? Thanks for a great post, and a good explanation of why criminal laws in Texas generaly allow for such widely disparate sentences. While they occasionally result in extreme sentences (both upward and downward) that don’t seem to fit the circumstances, they’ve always seemed to me to allow, in the main, juries and judges to sentence according to the facts of the case, rather than some (invariably) heavy-handed manditory minimum foolishness.

But here’s a question: in a criminal felony case, how much are jurors actually allowed to know about the actual, practical sentencing that will follow their verdict?

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