Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN .. opinion x0. 0-1553 33: G&ore acou8e en ound sale at tin or coQml88 on of ofiense ctlde in8 at tr 1, he is entitled to be ii;zistne oi t ‘2 ed 4 w been ao~uittod up- 1ln4l Trooeclure, e criae end cllwefl oomis6ion of the crime tte trial and provides that the th certified to the county judge necessary step6 to have the de- nd confined in a state hos?ftal for .xozes 8me .* Article 5551a, Vorndn’s Texas Clril Statutes, pro- tide6 ror lunacy prooeedincs rrguinst persons,. "Ilot charged dth a oritinal offent@. Cha?ter 2, Tltlc 51, ~orlsed Statutes, 36 ononded Oontaln nuaerou6 provisions trlth reference to state hospltais. While there are prorlelons to the effect that *‘a person al- leeed to be lnsano, and Who is not held on a crinllnal oharge, .-- ______ ___,__.. __ --_- .__. em.“- Ron. Carl I-errlman, Page 2 oajr be oonolttad to and oonflnrd in Ed lnatltutlon ior the 606tod7 end treatment or the imane”, there dons not ap?eor to be ray speolflo prohibition a~olnst an insane person Vito 16 ohaqed with the WWd66iOn of a crtne belpg t.re&ed. in one of the State hOSpit416. It is therefore the opinion of this depurtmmt that under the state of taots submitted in your letters the defeodant, air. Trl~ht,~ia entitled to be aooepted nnd treated in one of the State hospltkls Par the insane. Ye are inpel- led to this view beOaU66 rrom a reading OS all the statutes we cannot arrive at the ooncluslon that it is the Log16latiw intent that all persons oharged with the 00I~1%S6iOn ai a orlme who have been adjudged as being of sound .z.lnd at the dste of the elleged ooiz&8sion but who hate subsequently be- come insane mu8t remin in the custody of tte siiwiff until they return to sanity. Certainly it ~48 hot thb intention Of the Legislature to so provide. ZHdontly the puqoso of those provisions in the Statutds is to avoid coaplalnte in lunacy bei= tiled a&dnet persons charged nlth orime for the purpose of delayiag trial md making the IState's case nore diiflcult. The purpose certainly oould not htve bee3 that tnoab insane persona, if they continue insane ;lust remin ln the custodp of the sheriff until death. 'J /' A. s. i?ollins a8SiStClt