USA PATRIOT Act, Title VIII - Penalties

Penalties

A number of penalties for terrorism offenses were defined or amended by Title VIII. Section 809 removed the statute of limitations on prosecution for any terrorist offense that led to the death or injury of any person, while section 810 increased the maximum penalty for destroying an energy facility, providing material support to terrorists or terrorist organisations, destroying national-defence materials, sabotaging nuclear facilities or fuel or the damage or destruction an interstate gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility from not more than 20 years imprisonment to any prison term. Conspiracy provisions were added by section 811 to criminal statutes that cover arson within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, killings in Federal facilities, the destruction of communications lines, stations, or systems, the destruction of property within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, wrecking trains, material support to terrorists, torture, the sabotage of nuclear facilities or fuel, interfering with flight crews, the carrying on of weapons or explosives on an aircraft, and the destruction of interstate gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility. Furthermore, section 812 of the Patriot Act specifies that there is to be post-release supervision of terrorists for the rest of their lives, if they committed a terrorist act that resulted in, or created a foreseeable risk of, death or serious bodily injury to another person.