Penal Code Chapter 84 Overview

Threat Definition: A threat encompasses criminal force or harm, criminal mischief to property, libel, or slander, or a threat of prosecution for an offense under this or another law, regardless of whether the offense was committed.

Assault Definition: Assault includes assault and battery, assault without physical contact, imprisonment, or detention with compulsion.
Unlawful Assaults: All assaults are considered unlawful unless justified by specific grounds.

Punishments: Punishments under this code include death, imprisonment, fines, cost payments, and compensation.

Fine Substitution: Courts can substitute a fine, not exceeding $500, for a non-summary punishment.
Recognizance: The court can order the offender to enter into a recognizance, with or without sureties, for keeping the peace and behaving well. Failure to fulfill this can result in additional imprisonment.
Alternative Sentences: Courts may substitute a fine, release on probation, or other alternative sentences depending on the circumstances.
Compensation: The court can order the offender to pay damages for injury or loss and costs of the proceedings.

No Excuse: Ignorance of the law is not a valid defense for wrongdoing. Mistake of fact, however, is an exception if it's held in good faith.

Intentional Acts: If someone acts with the purpose of causing an event, they are considered to intend that event.
Acts with Belief: If someone acts willingly with the belief that their act will probably cause an event, they are deemed to intend that event.
Presumed Intent: If the act would likely cause an event with reasonable caution, the person is presumed to have intended that outcome unless proven otherwise.
Intent to Hurt One, Affects Another: A person intending harm to one party remains liable if the action unintentionally harms a different party.

Negligent Events: A person causes an event negligently when they act without the reasonable skill and precaution expected in the circumstances or in the particular scenario described by law.
Acts Likely to Cause Events: If an act is likely to cause an event, doing it without intent to cause that event is considered negligent concerning that event.
Involuntary Agent: If a person intentionally or negligently causes an involuntary agent (like an animal) to cause an event, then the person is deemed to have caused the event.
Multiple Participants: If an event is caused by multiple people, each contributor is deemed to have caused the event unless reasons for exemption from liability exist.
Disclaimer of Responsibility: A person is not responsible if they were not aware nor should have been aware of the chance of another party or factor causing the event.
Acts Within One Criminal Purpose: If multiple acts are part of one criminal purpose, they can be treated as one offense rather than multiple distinct ones, however separate punishment is possible.
Parts of an Offense: If part of an offense is proven, they can still be charged with the complete offense even if not all aspects are proven, if the remaining aspects are consistent with the initial allegation.

Abetting Offenses: A person directly or indirectly encourages, commands, counsels, procures, solicits, or promotes an offense. This includes physical actions, presence, or any other way of aiding the commission.
Actual Commission: A person who abets a crime or offense is considered guilty of that crime or offense if the crime is fully or partially committed in the scope of abetment.
Unfulfilled Crime: For cases where the crime is not actually committed, the punishment for the abettor depends on the details of circumstances.
Jurisdictional Considerations: Abetting a crime outside the jurisdiction can be treated as an equivalent crime if it was an act that would have been an offense within the jurisdiction.
Benefiting from Exemptions: Abettors may benefit from exemptions, justifications, or extenuations that might apply if the person being abetted had the same rights.

Incomplete Criminal Acts: An attempt to commit an offense is punishable in the same way as the complete offense, with a caveat: being convicted of the attempt prevents further prosecution on the underlying offense.
Multiple Offenses From a Single Act: Charges can be brought for multiple related offenses stemming from a single act, with each offense treated as a different charge.
Uncompleted Offense but Still Punishable: If a person tries to commit one offense and ends up committing a different one, they can still be held accountable for the offense they actually committed, with liability dependent upon the details of the actions.