Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Hon. 9. S. %'alkW Oounty Att0Zrn.y walker oounty tfuntsrillo, Texas Dear sir: on 14 or Art1010 1 the oonatltutienof r addreaaeb to you on th8 date of Notambe tilvmd a letter from xonor- able xao I.,. Bennb t Attorney, lBth Judloial , wherein ho adtlaed that OorpM wan fll.6. In iOatiOn the Dlmtrlot Att- r tho queetlon raised in aaia letter of #OYember 7, la department. ~lansr your letter of Nwemier 7, a8 fol- me, all County AttOlpOy, if, UudW ArtIt 6166x, . . . '. after a prironv has aowe- aald overtime and haa bean oredited tibh the came, then the manager, with the Frlson Board*8 apprordl, oan rorfalt auoh overtine under the Constitution or Texas, Ar- tlola I, seotion 14, whish provldas that no man shall bs 9laoed in jeopw&y twioe for the amlo offsnse, 09e. mn. D. 3. iyulker, Page 2 "The objeat OS this inquiry la to da- ter&as whethar or not, in your oplnloa, the Penitentiary Board or the managenmnt thereof aen, titer 0redltIng a pl~oner with aarned overthe, rorieit the 8eme without vlolatlug SOOtiOn 14 Or AmOle 3: Of th0 Bill Of Ri@ti of the Constftatlon of thlu 3tate*- Article 6186~, V.A.C..L, In part provides: *In order to anoourage prleon UI8olplIna, of 8 aiw.netioamay be mad0 finthe truktnrent, prlsonmr so as to extend to all euch ae'aro orderly, Indwtrlewa and obeUisat, comforts and @+Ilegscl aooordIng to their doaerta. The rewerd to be beatowed can prisoners for good uondwt ehall eonsI8t or mwh relaxation Of StTi& priS081 XV&OS md lXb M iOA Of -*Ial pri~Ilagea as may be ooneistentwith propu dlsoIpllne, acemautatI,ono? tkae for good oon- duotahallbegranted by theaatnager,andthe following deduotIon shall be mad. frcm tha term or terms of aentenee~ when no eharga or mIMon- duct hae been sustained agafaat a prlaomr, ~1s.~ . . . .* Artiole 6166x, V.A.O.S., ln psrt pr’orId8rr vrf``neta ahallbs keptatwork undo= swh rules and regulation8 a8 may bo adopted ‘bt the manager with the Board*6 apgmval: pre*1ded; that no prlaona shall be required to werLr,jmre than tan houraper day eraapt on work neoawary and essential to efflolent 0rgUnllatloa ot oaa- vi& rortxw, M&oh tints ahall Inolude the 'tima spent in going to and returning from tholr work, but not to isiolrzdsthe lntemlealon for dinnor, whieh shall nQt be 1.88 thW one hOUr, and in -886 of 8uoh MOWWX'y~d WW8Itti``OYdtiar, work, said ~l?isOnsire shall receive a 4edoet1oa of the equal to double the hours'so worked Ron. D. Y. Phlker, Paw S from the term or terms or wntwoe. . . . pOr 8aah swtalned obi~ge of ni8oonduot in riola- tIW Of WY rule known to the prisoner E& 0- lautbion eanasd by suoh overtime work shall be 8ubjOoD to ooa~U&O forS.iture. . . .* seotion 14, artiols I or the Constitution 0f TO=, prorldoor wo per8on, ror the sane4 0rf0fiw, shall be trio* >ut in jeopardy 0r liberty, nor shall, a peroon be again .rmt upon trial r0r the mkw Offewe, after a yerdiot of not <y In a ofmrt of oompetsntjurisdlotIon.* In M) CQrpuJ Jurlo., Bag* 348, it iS 8dd: *OrdinaHly a priwner i8 rrntitled to a 4Iuwition 0r the sentm0e far god wnduot In oaae of a ~oosmtatlon of a sontwme, whore the oeammtatlon lu to euah a t~rmof IspAwn- mutt u sakes the otatut~ appl&oablO, but thla &tit depends! on the tema of the ocmmutation~ . . . . 9h&mluot of a priaoneu nay forfeit In whole or in part hi8 right to reduetlon of mm- tww; and thle ftxielture may ba resuspted by idatut@, or by Yalld rule8 mad@ by proper prl- 0011 0ff1018.l8. . . .* ,A 8iairW qu&tlon InYolYIng rule8 ofthe priwa .mard orxan8u In authorlaingthe all,~oigoodtlaps and alw speolfylng theroin for lrithdraulng *aoh alXa+ufanOetar in- 1 subordInation wan raiwd in the habeas 'eOrpU8 preswdlng in the eO8e of fn Ro; T~rrlll, 144 Fad. 016, ?5,.C.O.A5.4l& There ~lt wm ooneeded that the grlson board teak from the good tfiu of the prlaoner 590 day8. The report held auab aetloa of the priW~%bOtW in it8 pr12aOed~ mUI ecina~a6tW. #S t0 the aO- tion or the prlaon enthorlti.@a in thla reapeet, the wurt said; -ho aatlon of that tribnaal in this pro- owd&.q Wd iSlt&i.8 Wlvt 18 OOPO1LUS190, Md whether It wa8 ad9iOabLy taken upOn spiflol~t avldetnee,whether aoaording to, or diarogardlng the rule6 of the prirron ox the law, ere quoatione vhioh cannot be raiwd by this writ of habeas oor- purr, beoauoe thet tribuual he4 tha jarledlotioa end the paaer to detsrmine hou much geod time ehoul~ be taken from the prisoner, and It ha8 de- ternincd that qtms tlon. Ken those 390 days are thruwn out of the aocount, the time ior whloh the prlsonsr was sentenoed ha8 not o*pired, and wnse- quontly ho oanuot be dlaaharged upon this groun4.s &Ye oan me no good reason why the rule eboye anno&& with refetrttnoeto the forrciture of oommutatlon gained by a oon- r&et Sor gooodconduct ehould not apply with equal force to oom- sutatlon earnod by (foonvict for ouurtime workad. ks stated in our opIniom 8-3648 approved Julf 16; 194l, and addresued to tha Dirrtrlct Attorney of your district Chat oedlt for good ooaduot and arertime aflowa``oe8 under Artlolam 61$bv au4 616d?-1, when onas carnsd by a prlwnsr my be tor- f*ited only UQon those ground8 Op0iried in aald statute8. me 8am4 StatutOl7 euthorIty whloh pantis the privilege r0r a prlwn- or to earn ownsutation on hia 8eateuae. authorlses the fortolfatm and we fall to 848 how ths ermolse ai suoh authority grant& to ths nauaqur or prison board, with the wasutntlon thersls pro- vided esurlngl to the benefit or the prisonem, csm wrk tutable jWptStdy Or 86WIt.udo Withill th4 MMing Of the 0itBd OOMtit?l- tiolm1 provlslon. A torfeiture undo the statute IS brou&ht about by the prfooner and h5m only, through his violation or III- frootlon of known rules, for the obssrvanoe of which the ooo- %Utatlon ia authorlaad. hoe you have oikrd tm to titlole 6166x, we odil y0tt.r attention to the faot that this Artiole ha8 baas ouperseded by Senate Bill No. ZO, Aot8 19S9, 46th Lo~lslaturo, p. S84, and dool~dad by Vernon as hrttole 616bx-1. HOUOYW, ths rsri- 8ion8 of t&is artiale are identioal with tho8e of krtio Pa 6166X in 80 far as they relate to the quelrtion here don8fdered. Xt is therefore the opinion of this departsmat thet under the provision6 or Artlols 6166x, V.A.C.S., al.1 earned wmmutatlon by oysr-time work 18 aubjeot to ferfeiture. 'Zhere :; P eon.0. 3. w.lker,Pa6re 5 forfeiturelo UealareU in aaaardanae with the provialonaof ,theetotutea, BaJDBdoes not violate .4rtibleI, Ysction 14 of t;heConutitutlonof TeZas. Yaurs very truly .- _~... ..: .r;~-,-2 ,``. ,: #FPCSZNEXG3EXAl. GS TEXAS d?gggi* L.--i ._.__ .~ -‘i;,L BY mxkrr