Penal Law § 1.05

General purposes · as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 1.05 General purposes.

The general purposes of the provisions of this chapter are:

1. To proscribe conduct which unjustifiably and inexcusably causes or threatens substantial harm to individual or public interests;

2. To give fair warning of the nature of the conduct proscribed and of the sentences authorized upon conviction;

3. To define the act or omission and the accompanying mental state which constitute each offense;

4. To differentiate on reasonable grounds between serious and minor offenses and to prescribe proportionate penalties therefor;

5. To provide for an appropriate public response to particular offenses, including consideration of the consequences of the offense for the victim, including the victim's family, and the community; and

6. To insure the public safety by preventing the commission of offenses through the deterrent influence of the sentences authorized, the rehabilitation of those convicted, the promotion of their successful and productive reentry and reintegration into society, and their confinement when required in the interests of public protection.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/1.05

In plain English

The Penal Law states what it is for:

(1) To forbid conduct that unjustifiably and inexcusably causes or threatens substantial harm to people or the public.
(2) To give fair warning of what is forbidden and of the sentences that can follow.
(3) To define, for each offense, the act or omission and the mental state it requires. ★
(4) To separate serious from minor offenses and set proportionate penalties.
(5) To respond appropriately to offenses, considering the consequences for the victim, the victim's family and the community.
(6) To protect public safety through deterrence, rehabilitation, successful reentry, and confinement when public protection requires it.

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.