I am looking for for a list of crimes of moral turpitude for an upcoming trial on monday...I thought I had seen it here before, but can't find it. Can anyone give me directions on where it is? Thanks
Moral turpitude is a legal term of art with no generally accepted definition. In general, "crimes of moral turpitude" cover conduct involving dishonesty, falsehood, and deliberate violence. Duncan v. Board of Disciplinary Appeals, 898 S.W.2d 759 (Tex. 1995).
Appellate courts have established that certain offenses are crimes of moral turpitude. E.g., Escobedo v. State, 2006 Tex. App. Lexis 6535 (Tex. App. Waco 2006) (public lewdness); Holgin v. State, 480 S.W.2d 405 (Tex. Crim. App. 1972) (prostitution); Trippell v. State, 535 S.W.2d 178 (Tex. Crim. App. 1976) (assault if the defendant is male and the victim is female); AG Op. DM 96-140 (1996) (communicating a false alarm); Tate v. State Bar of Texas, 920 S.W.2d 727 (Tex. App. Houston [1st Dist.] 1996, writ denied) (failure to stop and render aid, under some circumstances).
Courts also have found that certain crimes are not crimes of moral turpitude. Rodriguez-Castro v. Gonzales, 427 F.3d 316 (5th Cir. 2005) (child abandonment); In the matter of Lock, 54 S.W.3d 305 (Tex. 2001) (possession of a controlled substance); Arnold v. State, 36 S.W.3d 542 (Tex. App. Tyler 2000) (criminally negligent homicide).
