ASSAULT FAM/HOUSE MEM IMPEDE BREATH/CIRCULAT

Texas Penal Code § 22.01(b)(2)(B) defines assault of a family or household member or dating partner by impeding breath or circulation — commonly described as assault by strangulation or suffocation. The State must prove a bodily-injury assault under § 22.01(a)(1) against a person whose relationship to the defendant falls within Texas Family Code §§ 71.0021(b), 71.003, or 71.005 — a dating relationship, family membership, or shared household — and that the defendant committed the assault by intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of that person by applying pressure to the person's throat or neck or by blocking the person's nose or mouth. The manner of the assault is the distinguishing element: the same relationship with a qualifying prior conviction instead falls under § 22.01(b)(2)(A), and impeding breath combined with such a prior conviction falls under § 22.01(b-3).

Ranges are the statutory maximums for the level; enhancements, prior convictions and plea agreements change what is actually imposed.

Across 51,292 Texas bail settings for this charge (123 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $10,000 (middle half: $5,000 – $25,000). 1% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 3,436 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (22,284 records), the median was $12,000 and 1% got a personal bond.

Showing the 5 counties with the most records; use the selector for any county with at least 30. Per-charge bond settings on original magistrations, from Texas OCA bail reporting under SB 6. Bail is set case by case — these are statistics, not a prediction.

Of 9,191 ASSAULT FAM/HOUSE MEM IMPEDE BREATH/CIRCULAT charges filed 2019–2023 across 13 counties (Bell, Brazoria, Collin, Comal, Dallas, FortBend, Galveston, Harris, Hays, Montgomery, Rockwall, Travis, Williamson), 92% have reached a disposition:

How long it takes: the median ASSAULT FAM/HOUSE MEM IMPEDE BREATH/CIRCULAT charge took 327 days from filing to disposition (middle half: 181 – 554 days, 9,187 charges).

Outcome is the final disposition recorded on the charge. “Other” (48) covers waived counts, bond forfeitures, transfers and unrecorded outcomes. Bexar County records disposition dates but not outcomes, so it counts toward time-to-disposition only. Tarrant County criminal records are not in this dataset.

• ASSAULT CAUSES BODILY INJURY FAMILY MEMBER § 22.01(a)(1)
• ASSAULT CAUSES BODILY INJ § 22.01(a)(1)
• ASSAULT FAMILY/HOUSEHOLD MEMBER PREV CONV IAT § 22.01(b)(2)(a)
• ASSAULT PEACE OFFICER/JUDGE § 22.01(b-2)
• ASSAULT PUBLIC SERVANT § 22.01(b)(1)
• ASSAULT OF PREGNANT PERSON § 22.01(b)(8)
• ASSAULT INT/RECK BREATH/CIRC FAM MEM PREV IAT § 22.01(b-3)
• ASSAULT ON SECURITY OFFICER § 22.01(b)(4)