OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable 8. #. Llster, M. D.,Chairman Texas Prison Board 2nd National Bank Bullding Houston, Texar Dear Slr: ly adopt ruoh moda8 ruoh punishment The #trap to be over two and one- Banorable 9. M. Llster, page 2 and such report CJOto be made by such offloer exe- outing the order of the Prlron Comml88Ion, shall state the nsme of the oonvlot whipped, the number of stroks8 admlnl8tersd, the size of the 8trap ucled,the time and plsoe thereof, In whore prer- enoe 8ame was done, and the aause thereof. The Prlron Comml88Ion rho11 make a seal-annual report of the whlpplng of oonvIot8 to the dlatrlot Judge of the county where ruoh whIppIng ooourred, who shall report the rams to the grand jury, whloh shall make Inve8tIgmtlon thereof, if they deem same advisable. The utmost oare muet be urea by the offloer exeoutlng the order of the Comml88Ion not to break the rkin of the prisoner whipped, and any person guilty of whlpplng a prlaoner more larh- ea than ae provided herein, or rtrlklng a prlaoner, exoept In 8elf-defense, shall be fined not less than twenty-fire nor more than two huntlrsdma fifty dollar8 antilm?rI80nea In Jail not le88 than thirty days nor more than #Ix months." (Unasrroorlng aura.1 In 1927 the Board of Prlran Uamml88lonerr ~88 abollohml ana there was rubrtltutee thereior a new body. the Texar Prlran Board, to manage ana oontrol ths Terre Prlro``Syrtem. 'tits 1927, 40th Leg., Oh. 222. The Aot of 1887 provldl for th8 Tsxaa Prison B0arU 8peoIfloally repealed artIol8s 616 thro 6WX? of Title 108 of the Revfred Clvll Statute8 of Texso, y 1 26. Hone of thrrr T artloler related to punishment ta be ldrlnlrtered to 0onvlot8. No artlolrr of the Penal Code wers exprssslr rsp8aled and 6hs Aat oontalned no general repealing olaure. Instead, Beation 34 (Aate 1927, 40th Leg. p. QQ6) provIas6: "If any reotlon or provIsIon of this hot rhall oontravent the terms of the Conrtltutloa of this State, or be otherwIse held lnvalltlfor any rearan, the same ahall not affeot the validity of the remaln- iirmorableS. W. Ll@ter, page S 1% i8 lnoumbcnt upon ``~detexwlne whether Artlole 349 of the Fenal CoQe (hot being 4xpr4881y repealed) 1s in oonfllot vlth aw of th4 provlrione of the Aot of lQE?, or is otherwIse inOperatiV0. we believe tllmt it IS. hrtlale 6166j, Veruantr Annatrted Clvll Ststutes, (Sea. 11, Ch. 212, Aots 1027) reads In part 8a follows: ** l l The maaagor, with the oonsent 01 the Tour Frl4on Board, ShSll h4v4 paver ta pr48Orib4 cearonabl4 rules an6 regulations gaveming the human4 trerrtment, training and dI8oIplln* of prl8aner8, and to make pro- ViSiOll iOr the 84p8r4tiOtl and 4l48@if;O#ltlOnOf FrlS- oners sooorblng to sex, OOlOr:,age, health, oarrl lbil- lty, Sud oharaoter of oftoner upon which the cantf otion et the prisoner was 8ooured.a ArtIela 6lk5824,(840. Sl, Uh. EU, Aots 19277)reads as follor8: "Any eerflmt,guard or oOkzar oftloer or eaplor*e ot the prlron #retem Of 6D.18state, who ehrfl innidt punishment upon a pri8oner not authorlrwl b;l the "3 88 Of the prI(lOnS~St@m, shall be guilty of an &I- r eatit, an& upon oonrlotlcn thereof, shall be puni@hOd as preratlbed by law, and It oh411 b4 the duty Ot the manqyer to make oomplaint before the proper oftioer of any aaunt In vhloh ruoh 4rrault Was aoRImi8t4dUp- on ouah prisoner. Pravltled,that In a11 oases vhere nny person Is &aarged by aonplalnt or lndicataentwith BII nttense against 4 prisoner, prl8on4r8 Ma ax-prl8aner8 #hall be permitted to tecfltr.’ It I8 readily apparent that Artlale 6166j now governs tralnlng and dlsolpllnc at grlronrrr ?cn8the manager of the prison system 1s luthorised, with th4 aon44nt at the board,to preocwlbe r4asonttblerules and regulrrtlonsin respeot thereto. Of oourse, the Word ldi4OIplln4' aont4mplatea pU?I#hm4nt, 4~34 8ueh may be corporal punlrhment. In aadltion, under Art1014 616624, supca, the word apun18hm4nt~ I4 so used and any ser- geant, @ard or other offloer or employee at the prlra~I``s~ lnfllctlng any punlshmsnt ~lnetl by the rulea Honorable 6. M. Llrter, pa$s 4 guilty of an aeaault. For yet mother reason, Artlole 349 of the Penal Code lr lnoperatlre. In that 8rtlol0, oorporal punlrhment, vhlpplng, mar be lnfllotad only upon m of the tpLEp -8nd Artlols 349 doer not undertake to define what 18 meant by *priaonem of the third olaaa.* Thhrterm vaa do- flnrd ln Artlole 6184 of the Rwlm4 Glril l)tatuter,19U5, but thla Artlole VILIlrprerrly repra1.d by the hot of lQ#?. For thorr rearonr it lr ow oplnlon and mu uv rdvlrod that Artlolr 849 of the Penal Cod8 ir mennlnglorr and inoperative; that under Artlole 6166j of Vernon@8 hano- tintedCivil 6tEtUtO8, the pUIki8bPInt tbt Uy ti infiiOt@d upon prironerr la that prororlbed by the reasonable ruler of the manager, vlth thr oonront o? the prison &buariI, ant3 ruoh may lneluds oorporal punlrbaont. very truly Jo=8 ame8 D. 9mulUn JDSl Jr A8818taZlt