Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1943 )

. OFFlC= OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTiN zhaareble ikn V. Jeokaon Mrtrlct Attamoy iiouston, Tsxe8 Attention:. Hr. Y., K. Rickdsoa CeQrilr: -.. :,- . irtlcle I, Texas Constitution;. thati 011 ‘sltaeere8 must. take wi oath CP afflrmet~on to teerify to the truth$ thet %he, p&n8 end panelties 0r ~mj``y me tuo t0 ten years in thb.penltent;ary; chat ocw Zelinquent child lau is xmt a: crlml~l. 1+10n but rether a proaeduxe 3a rmtiure.oS @.mrCianahLp and 1s an exolu- s1vc procedure a3 fer 48. juvenilee ocmlng withbin its scoce- are cmccrned; that .luveniloa *uudcr aur c?slinquenr chi~ld law are not sui;je;t to crlmlnal Frosecutlon; therefore, Is n jwenll3 0 competent witncasl iionorable Can W. .Jecrson. gage 2 It La true that under our present delinquent child lau, vhlch is the sole procedure to be appllod to juveniles comlzg ulthln its purvlcv, that such a juvenile is not tried in a ar&laal proceeding but in e proceeding in nature of Euardianshlp end Is not subject to crislnal prosecution. Ye do not think tbls method of hendUn& juvenSbs can be said to immune then from the pins end penalties of perjury. Ue quote la pert from our dellnqdeat child law: n. . . . I i The term *2ellnquent child’ means any fenale’p&on over the ago of ten (IO) years ati * under the age of eighteen (18) years and ang zale psrson over the a e of ton c13) pars nnd under the cge of seventeen 'i17) ycnrsr “(a) who violates any penal law of this state OS the pgac?e OS felony; II. . . . ” . and lf the Judge or jury rlnda that the child ~s*dellnquent, or othervlse withi~n the pro- vl3lons of this Act, the court may buy order duly entered proceed as follows: “(1) place the child oa probation or under supervlsion in hia ovn home or in the custody of a relative ov other fit person, upan such tsrns es the court shall determlne; ‘(2) commit the child to a suitable public in- stitution or agency, or to a aultable Frivato lnati- tutlon or agency authorized to care fop ohlldren; or to place them ln auiteble family homes or parent- al homes for an indeterminate Feriod of tme, not extending beyond the time the chf.13 shall reach the - age of tucnry-one (21) rears; “(3) mt%e such further dl~posltion 33 t.ha court ray deem to 3:e ror the beat lnterasi uf :he child, eacegc e.s herebt atherulas provided. ,I. . . . 11 Honorable San U. Jackson, page 3 it is q*tiLc coldent that a child who commits the of- fense of perjury, which is 4 felony, 1s subject to the pains and penalties thewefor ln the nature of bclng trlcd ac e delln- quent child and if adjudged as such, to be kmdlcd In the manner cc above met forth Ln our quotation from the dcllnquent child lau. IO other words, a juvenile within the scope of the C~lilrpuent child 14~ is subject to the palna and pcncltica of perjury, no& In the 8cmc of being tried and punichcd a8 a orimina3, hut, la the ~ensc of belna tried end handled a8 8 dc- llnqusnt child. If a juvenile did perjure ‘as a vitnccs. the facts ccucing his tcsclmony to be an act of pcrju?? are tha acme. which would conatltute an act of perj*ury on the part of an adult. The present dcllkaquent child lau cmely changed the mode ol trial and manner 0-C puniahmmt so far as a juwcnilo is conccrncC utio coml:s an offense agalnct the law of the land. 2his i``cntloal qucsfiza was r4fsed IJ the case of Vllliams v. State, 225 3. v. 173, under our old 2el:aqucct child lav vhcrebp It was ogtionel vlth the juvc;llla uhetimr he vould bc tried 88 a &alinquent child OP for the crime lt- self. Ihe contention ~4 s ncde that slnoc a child could choocc betvccn be- ,tried as a deliqqueat ohlld cr for the offense cocmitted, and he chose the forac~, he, not belng subject to tho paina and penaltfec, wea not a conpctent vltzoss. The court ensvercd thlo as follow: n This vonld not rallcvc -~osccutrlx of contr&l&‘for perjury undc~ ah Indiatvent charging that offence, unless rhc did in w-me i;l~nuc~ claim the exemption under the delinquent child act. If that uas aet up, thea the court vould dlsmi~a thu cam of perjury and try her under the Act8 of the Fourth Called 3cssloi~ of tha Leglalsture, cupra. It vould be as much a violation of the law In ohc case 88 ln the other. The facts vould be chc smc 4zd the perjury the same, but under the CclUIQucnt child act she would be cntltlcd to be scnL to the rrfornatory instead of the penitentAmy. It change6 the icanner of enfsrcbg the lnv, but does not chahgc the wine ncr the necessary facts. IL ctanges the mn.mr of trying rt cud the mnmr of cha?gihg it, but ,f.o offcam? uoulc? bo the salx! 32 :‘~or es Glo CCC of chc child in tcstlfying ~13concerned. It d3es not rtl-:cve ter of ?unlah.vent, but; chan~ea t.he ;Gaco Of’;unlciumnt anr! the rzoda of trlnl. . . .n . , Honorable Dan W. Jaokeon, page 4 It Is therefore the opinltm of this department that ‘ii the prerequisitea are met which qualify a juventle 88 a competent vitness, the faot he Is vlthln the purvleu of the delinquent child law will not cause his disqualiiioation ae 8 QOlSpOteAt liitAe88. Very truly pours ATTORRRX-L OF TEXU By /&&7b Robert 0. Pooh Assistant