Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
&Fril 1, 1939
Hon. II.S. Plyohs,April 1, 1939, Page 2
of Criminal Prooadnre of the Stats of Texas
as to the l&sanity of a dsfenc!ant,shall oon-
slst of the affidavit of the Supsrintendent
of some State Institutionfor ths treetraent
of the inssne, or the afridavlt of not lees
than two lloensed and regularly preotloing
physiaiana of the State of Texas, or ths effi-
davft of the prison physloian or warden of
the Panal Institution whsrsin the defendant
--is in prison, or the County Health Offioer
ef the Couaty where the defend&H was rlnally
loavioted,whioh affidavits,if made, ahall
Hate that after a pera- aaaination ef tha
defendant, it la the opfnlonbf the affiant
tht the defendant is lnsaae, and aald afil-
datlta ahall. in addition thereto, aot fosth.
the rea8oaa aad $ho oawe or WLUMB wh.loh
hare justified.theopLnion,*
*Al-t.~084. UO.8peOl~l f~rullt~ lr
nooeaaary In sozaduotlngthe prooee(ling0w-
tMrlse(. by this ohapter. The oourt ahali ase
that t&o iBq*-i0 80 aonduatadbaa to laa&
to a Setlefaetosy oOnoltulOat Thc~oouaael
tkm the dafendant he18t&a ri&ht to open aa&
oomlada t+s argument upen the trial of eueh
180w Of bmaBity."
The oarre,Milllkfn va. Jeffrey, 891 WI 8923holds ammg other thlags that the sourt la rhlah the
defendantwa8 oonrioted haa lxalualve juria~iotion of
a prooeedin(3to iaqulm into hie alleged inoantty.
Artiala 84 of the Penal Code reads as rollawar
"A *oriminaladion' meana the who10
or an part of the prooedurewhloh the law
proviies for bringing ofrendars to justioo;
and the teras lprosecution*and 'aaousatioa'
are used in the same sanse.*
The prooedure adjudging one not oharged with a
orlma to be a psraon of unsound mind and providing for
his restraint 18 8olely through the aounty oourt sad
Hon. H. S. Wyohe, April 1, 1939, Fags 3
although the state Is a party to euoh Inquiry, the
ohsreotcr of the prooeeding is eseentially civil.
(White vs. White, 196 SW 508; Tex. Jur. Vol. 24, page
388) However the Amarillo Court of Civil Appeale in
the CA8C of Lindsay '18.Wood et ux, 27 5W 2nd 263 said
that :
"In our opinion, A prosecution for
lunacy 1~3a quasi-orImina1 prooeeding.a
brdrpraotioallyall of the authorItIeahold that 8uoh
prooedbinga am laaentiallyoirll.
Title U, Chapter 1 OS the Code of Or&n&
Prooedure provider for a trial of the queetton of'the
defendant'siinsanity where It ir made known to tha
oourt at my time after oonviotion,or If the oourt
has good seaeon to believe, that the defandant la la-
MM, or whore a porron mho has ban oonrloted .oi a
````````````````````t
well4aunded. In prooeeQIng#of this natara tham+.is
no Issue or quutloa to k deternine by the oorrrli,~rr-
oept the qnoeti~ of t& defendant's InsaAty and it
&oannot be said that this IS a oriainal aotion or pro-
oedum aa no siiminal offonae 18 obarged In ?uoh pro-
oeeding.
After a earoful.lnnatIgatIon and aea*oh~of
the statutea,we are unable to find any statute ptiotid-
Ing for or authorizingthe payment of witneaees In lwh
proosedings. Title lEa,ohapter 1 of the Oode of OrWn-"
al PrOOWbIrrt, mapra, iWkO8 no pSeViBi0M nor doe6 it
presaribe the ma-r In whioh sooh witneaaos shall be
~aebpoeneedor brought befom ths oourt in suoh hearleg
mn doso it provide for the oompenaationof 8uoh wlt-
neoaeo.
Artiole 1036, Oode of Criminal Prooedure pro-
vides smong other thingst
*1. Any witneos who may have been reoog-
Hon. 2. 5. i;yohe,April 1, 1939, Page 4
nized, subpoenaed or attached, and (rivenbond
lor his sp;~aaranoebefore any court, or be-
fore any grand jury, out of the county of his
residence to testify in e felony case, and
VZLOappears.in compliance with the obligations
oftouch recognizance or bond, shall be allOwe&
Us- actual traveling ezpenses, not sxoeedfng
four.cants per mile going tc and returning from
the court or grati jury, by.tho nearr8t praetl-
oal oonveyanoe,and two dollars per dar for maoh
day he may neoossarilybo absent froa him0 ~II
a ritneas in such oaae.
~ltnorsos &all reooive fram the Stat+, ,$or
attendwoe upoa dietriot oourte and grand @lo*
in counties other than th8% of the,irrosl``o*;
in obedlenoe to subpaener issued under the pra- '~
visions of law their lotual tnreliag srpeime8
not erooodlng tour oonts pet mile, going fo.urj
returning from the oourt er grand jury, by tho
nearemt praotloal oonveyanoe,and ttsodollarr~
per day for eaoh day they may neoessarllybe
absent trim home al a wlitne86,to be paid a8 nw
pxivlded by law;.......
%&a. 2. Witaaaa toor shall be allowed only
to suah wltnesaes a8 may ham beum Mnnf110nOdon
the sworn written app&loetlon of the State’8 -
attorney or the defendant or his attorady al-
provided In Artlole.4&5,~Code of Crlmlnal Pro-
oedura, which sworn applloetion must be medo
-at ths tlnm of the proou~ing oi,the subpOeM,
attachment ior, or ~rsooguhanoe of, the witness.
The judge to whom an applioatlon Sor attaoh-
mont is made, may, In hia dlsoretlon, grant oc
refuse such application, when presented IQ tena
time.=
Article 463, 4n ~slmlnalProcedure, readr:
Veiort the clerk OT his deputy ahall be
required or permitted to Issue a subpoena in
any felony ease pending in any Di8trlot or
Orimlnal Dl8trlot Court of this State of rrbloh
Hon. R. S. I??yo!~e,
April 1, 1939, PaPe 5
he IS olerk or deputy, the defendant or his
attorney or the State's attorney shall make
written, sworn application to such clerk for
eao5 witness desired. Buch application shall
state the name of each witness desired, the
looation and voaotion, if known, and that t&e
testimony of said witness is materiel to the
state or to :tledef:TIae. As far as is praotf-.
oal auoh clerk shall include in ona subpoena
the n``aesof all witna8888 for the State and
for defendant, and auoh prooesa ahall ahow
that the wltneasaa ara ammonod for the
State or ror the defendant. mqm c1WitnO
haa bean 8eWed with a subpoena, attaohed ar
plaoed under reaognlzauoeat tha lnatanae of’
alther party in a pertiaular oaae, suoh em-
oution of proooaaaball Inure to the benorit-
of the.oppo8it6'porty%n 8ueh oase in the
event auoh opposite party de8ire8 to ulle
suoh iitn688 on tha trial of the Oaae, pro-
rided‘thet when a wltnea8 haa onoe been
8emed with a aubpoosa, no further aubpoana
ahall be iasusd for dd wltne88.w
The prooeed$ng provided for by Title lg, oh&
ter 1 of the Coda of Criminal Prooodure, aupra, %a not
the trial of the felony oaao in the diatrlot oourt.
Therefore,wltneaaaa who appear in suoh oases or pro- I
owdlnga are uot entitled to fees or OOZ8pan8atiOKK
a0
provided ior in &Mole 10256,COae of Crlmlnal Prooe- '
dure.
In view oi the foregoing atatutaa, you are r0-
apaotfullyadvised that lt la the opinion of thi? Impart-
ment that wltneaaes in prooesdlngaas provided for by
Title 18, chapter 1, Soda ol Criminal Prooedura Oanuat
hare sorlpt issued against the State ot Texae to pa7 their
-per dlun and mileage and that tha State fa not liable iOr
8uoh costs.
Trusting that the iora@lng anawers your in-
quiry, wa remain
very truly youra