Erazo v. State

In Erazo v. State, 144 S.W.3d 487, 491 (Tex. Crim. App. 2004), the court reiterated that, because the jury's decision in a non-capital case does not involve a discrete finding, the relevance of evidence cannot be determined by a deductive process, but rather is a function of policy. Erazo, 144 S.W.3d at 491. The policies that operate during the punishment phase of a non-capital trial include: (1) giving complete information to the jury to allow it to tailor an appropriate sentence; (2) the rule of optional completeness; (3) whether the appellant admits the truth during the sentencing phase. Id. As a result, relevance during the punishment phase of a non-capital trial is determined by what is helpful to the jury. Id.