Which scenario would illustrate the Deadly Weapon in Penal Institution offense?

• A. A person confined in a penal institution carries on or about his person a deadly weapon.
• B. A person outside the institution carries a deadly weapon.
• C. A person within the institution carries a non-deadly weapon.
• D. A person outside the institution carries a deadly weapon inside.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that this offense targets someone who is confined in a penal institution and who possesses a deadly weapon on his person. The scenario that best fits is the one where a person who is actually confined in the penal institution is carrying a deadly weapon on or about his person. That combination—being in the institution and physically carrying a deadly weapon—matches the statute’s two essential elements: confinement and possession of a deadly weapon.

Why the other situations don’t fit: if the person is outside the institution, the offense doesn’t apply because the person isn’t confined in the penal institution. If someone inside the institution carries a non-deadly weapon, the weapon doesn’t meet the “deadly weapon” element. If a person outside the institution carries a deadly weapon inside, there’s no confinement within the penal institution at the time the weapon is carried, so the specific offense isn’t triggered.