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 oonslst of the affidavit of the Supsrintendent 

of some State Institution for 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 effidavft 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 

l oavioted, whioh affidavits, if made, ahall 

Hate that after a pera- aaaination ef tha 

defendant, it la the opfnlon bf the affiant 

tht the defendant is lnsaae, and aald afildatlta ahall. in addition thereto, aot fosth. 

the rea8oaa aad $ho oawe or WLUMB wh.loh 

hare justified.the opLnion,* 

*Al-t. ~084. UO.8peOl~l f~rullt~ lr 

nooeaaary In sozaduotlng the prooee(ling0 wtMrlse(. by this ohapter. The oourt ahali ase 

that t&o iBq*-i0 80 aonduatad baa to laa& 

to a Setlefaetosy oOnoltulOat Thc~oouaael 

tkm the dafendant he18 t&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 8923 

holds ammg other thlags that the sourt la rhlah the 

defendant wa8 oonrioted haa l xalualve juria~iotion of 

a prooeedin(3 to iaqulm into hie alleged inoantty. 

Artiala 84 of the Penal Code reads as rollawar 

"A *oriminal adion' meana the who10 

or an 

provi i 

part of the prooedure whloh the law 

es for bringing ofrendars to justioo; 

and the teras l prosecution* 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 1~3 a quasi-orImina1 prooeeding.a 

brdr praotioally all of the authorItIea hold that 8uoh 

prooedbinga am l aaentially oirll. 

Title U, Chapter 1 OS the Code of Or&n& 

Prooedure provider for a trial of the queetton of'the 

defendant'sinsanity 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 laMM, 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,~rroept the qnoeti~ of t& defendant's InsaAty and it 

&oannot be said that this IS a oriainal aotion or prooedum aa no siiminal offonae 18 obarged In ?uoh prooeeding. 

After a earoful. lnnatIgatIon and aea*oh~of 

the statutea, we are unable to find any statute ptiotidIng for or authorizing the payment of witneaees In l wh 

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 

~aebpoeneed or brought befom ths oourt in suoh hearleg 

mn doso it provide for the oompenaation of 8uoh wltneoaeo. 

Artiole 1036, Oode of Criminal Prooedure provides 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 (riven bond 

lor his sp;~aaranoe before any court, or before any grand jury, out of the county of his 

residence to testify in e felony case, and 

VZLO appears. in compliance with the obligations 

oft ouch 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 praetloal oonveyanoe, and two dollars per dar for maoh 

day he may neoossarily bo 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,ir rosl~~o*; 

in obedlenoe to subpaener issued under the pra- '~ 

visions of law their l otual tnreliag srpeime8 

not erooodlng tour oonts pet mile, going fo.urj 

returning from the oourt er grand jury, by tho 

nearemt praotloal oonveyanoe, and ttso dollarr~ 

per day for eaoh day they may neoessarlly be 

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 Mnnf110nOd on 

the sworn written app&loetlon of the State’8 - 

attorney or the defendant or his attorady alprovided In Artlole.4&5,~ Code of Crlmlnal Prooedura, 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 attaohmont is made, may, In hia dlsoretlon, grant oc 

refuse such application, when presented IQ tena 

time.= 

Article 463, 4n ~slmlnal Procedure, 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 :tle def :TIae. As far as is praotf-. 

oal auoh clerk shall include in ona subpoena 

the n~~aes of 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 c1 WitnO 

haa bean 8eWed with a subpoena, attaohed ar 

plaoed under reaognlzauoe at tha lnatanae of’ 

alther party in a pertiaular oaae, suoh emoution of proooaa aball Inure to the benoritof the.oppo8it6'porty %n 8ueh oase in the 

event auoh opposite party de8ire8 to ulle 

suoh iitn688 on tha trial of the Oaae, prorided‘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- 

apaotfully advised that lt la the opinion of thi? Impartment that wltneaaes in prooesdlnga as 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 inquiry, wa remain 

very truly youra