The offense of appearing in a public place while under the influence of alcohol or drugs to a degree that the person is unable to care for their own safety or that of others, or is behaving in a manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm to the public. It is among the most commonly charged public order offenses in many countries, typically resulting in a fine or a brief period of detention until the person is no longer intoxicated rather than a substantial criminal penalty, and a number of jurisdictions have moved toward treating public intoxication primarily as a public health matter addressed through detoxification programs rather than the criminal justice system.
Facts
Typical PenaltyIn Texas, a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine only, not to exceed $500 1 Elements of OffenseA summary offense in certain countries relating to public displays of drunkenness 1 Notable ExamplePowell v. Texas (1968), in which the Supreme Court upheld the Texas public intoxication law against an Eighth Amendment challenge 1 Jurisdiction VariationColorado imposes no criminal or civil penalties for public intoxication 1 Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Connections
Has Offense Grade
Entity-backed identity for the offense-grade enum value this offense already carries, resolved to a crime concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The offense-grade fact itself stays on the offense unchanged.
Sources
1. Public intoxication (Wikipedia)
Lead paragraph, first sentence
Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly" and "drunk in public", is a summary offense in certain countries related to public cases or displays of drunkenness.
United States, Texas section
Public intoxication is a Class C misdemeanor (Class C misdemeanors are punishable by fine only not to exceed $500)
United States, Colorado section
Public intoxication in the state of Colorado is not punished with criminal or civil penalties.
United States, 1968 constitutional challenge
In 1968, in the case of Powell v. Texas, the Texas law against public intoxication was challenged in the Supreme Court of the United States
Lead paragraph, summary-offense-in-certain-countries clause
Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly" and "drunk in public", is a summary offense in certain countries related to public cases or displays of drunkenness.
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