‘;I, 

ii 

$1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable S, Y. Lists?, Chairman 

Ten18 Prfaon Board 

Qsoond Z?atlonal Bank Building 

Bolls ten, Tezas 

I Dear Sir: 

y prleonar~ to 

cifiolairr, 'seaof the Prison 

d, Andy emplo~srr 

he Prison Syotam? 

paitment on the e 

fOllSw8 t 

en a6 to whether 

on Board to 

8OIlero to state 

rlson Board, and 

an rsaara aa authorfzing the Canera1 Managem to prooeed in accordimoe with'the custom of the past, 

which has been to lsnd trusties to 

orflalals and Board Member&* 

"A member of the Prison Board, who is an 

attorney, feels that this Po,eolution Is not e 

legal one, so I am,dlsking that you give me an 
Honorable 8. 11. U8ter, Page 2 

opinion in thir matter. I would re8peOttu1ly 

0Cd.l YOoUr ettMtiOn to ArtiOle8 370 and 373 

of the Penal Code of the State or Texas, aud 

Articles 6184 & aad 6184 K of the Revised 

CiVil StEhUt~8 Of 1986. 

"We have only a few OaBeS where inmates 

are removed from the unit8 to whioh they are 

attached for use by State or prison offioials. 

A8 you likely know, quits a number of theed 

iJUMte8 are used for sewant and helpers by 

the eIllp1Oyee8 Of the Prison Sy8tem.at RlUt8- 

Vilh end Other QriPOn Ullit8.” 

Artioli 370, Vernon*8 Annotated Penal Code provide8 

in part: _, 

'Ho 0rrlber or employs o?.the state 

pwiitentiarie8 ShEi be ps@ttad. . . . 

to approprlato to'hie #irate u8e or am& 

ploymont the labor; 86rTiOO8 or III). 0r eny 

etats penitentiary oonvlot , or of .eny enlmal, rehlole or.othar person&l property belonging tb the Slate, unle88 It be by th? 

express oon6ont~~of th6 psnltentlery board 

had by an order fo that effeot entered o? 

reoord.on ths minute8 o? 8aid board,.provldlng ?or%he quaount to be paid by 8uoh 

o??laer or em loya,~?or the ~80, employmen and 8033 1p Qe8 Of rush OOntiOt or Ooni 

ticts or the use of any per8onal property 

belonging ta the. Stats; i . ,.* 

Artiole 6166a, Vernon*8 Annotated Civil Statutes 

read8 in part as fdlUw8: 

". . . . All pri8oner8 8hall be worked 

within tie prison walls and upon far1118 

owned or lea8ed by the Stetej and in PO 

avent 8hall the labor o? a prieoner be 

cold +.o any oontraotor or le8'ees to work 

on farme, or el8ewherej nor ehall any 

prlteoner be worked on any ?arm or otherwise, upon share8, exoept 8uoh farm be 

owned or lee8ed by the Stat4 of Texes." 
E.onorablo 5. Y. Lillter, saga 9 

Artiole 61%1~, Vernon’8 AMotatsd Cftll Statptee 

prorideet 

:Ho person who has been appointed a truaty ahall be 

auoh person P 

ermitted to leave the prison where 

s looeted except upon bucllness oonneoted with the prison.* 

.titiolee 6184g and 6184k, Vernon;8 Annotated Civil 

Statute8 read a8 follons: 

"Art. 6184g. No trusty 8hall be psrmltted 

to be at large or oii the prieon property eiter 

,8:00 p. P., exoept when aocompenisd by a ‘guard 

or other offioer of the prison 8ystem, and it 

shall be the duty 0s all Offiesr8 0s the prf8on 

ayetem having oonvlots in oharga, whether at the 

prison proper, or on any of the farme, or eleewhere,~tO 880 that all trUetie ere,inside the 

pieon bulldtnge by not later thecqzoO,p. m., 

provided that tIW3tie8,who'lPay be eoaompenled 

. by a mamber of the .oomml88lon or other otiicer 

oft tha pri8on syrrtem and who era on journeys 

a-y -‘Srom the panitentlary at Huntirville, or 

the tarme where~ 8UOh~Qri8OINr8 8re located, 

8hau be exempted ?rom tha prorlaionr-or this 

eeotion 0r.ths Aot wtils aotuelly away rrw 

headquarters.* . . 

'Art. 61848. Any member of the Board of 

Prison comd88ionsra, or hny werden or farm 

manager, or any other employee of the Board of 

Prison cofuab8ioner8, whole duty it 28 to enroroe the provieiona of thi8 Aot who 8ha11 fail 

or refuse to entome the 8s.~ shall be subject 

to removal from ofrioe.W 

Artfols 61&g, Vsrnonts Annotated Civil Statute8 

pertain8 to the absence o? truetie iron the prison and Art1018 01841 end 6lS4j, Vernon's Annotatad Civil Statutes provide 0ertai.n exemptions, however, we do not think that th,ese 

atatutea apply to the question under consideration. 

Apparently under Article WC, eupra, the'amyloyesa 

of the penitentiary were permitted to use or employ the labor, 

: 
~onorabls Bd Y. Listsr, Page 4 

servIcea, or the use o? any State penitentiary oonviot 

when the express oousent of the Penltentlery Board ha8 been 

obtained and an order to that efieot ha8 been entered of 

record on the minutes of said board. However, Article 370, 

supra, wes enacted at a time (1903) when the law permitted 

oonvicts to be leased to contractor8 and lessees ganerally, but this polioy was chasged, and the he8ing o? ,oonviate wes prohibited by Aota of 1910, 4th Callsd Se88lon, 

p. 143, which became Artlole 6174, R. C. S. 19ll. That 

artiole was amndsd by Chapter 83, Aots 1st Called Session, 

lolp, ahd was brought.?orward in Artiol8 6167, R&.8. 3925, 

which Was repealed by Chapter Zig, ACt8 of the 40th lOgi8- 

lature, Artiole 6166a, supre, oontains in 8Ub8taUC4, the 

same language a8 the above mentioned Cfril S&tUte8, prohibiting the leacling o? oonviote which wa8 enaoted in 19127. 

Apparently this has bsenthe p.olloy o? the Legial8ture elnce 

1910, and only the ti&8btUlW h8 the Isgal authority and 

power to ohauge the same. It will be noted that Artlola 

6186a doee not expre88l 

these two 8tatuts8 are f 

repeal Art1016 379, .eup,+a, However, 

n par1 mat8ria dnd th81r~provielon8 

la suoh re8peot eahnot be‘rsoonollod. Im'8uoh.o1roum8tanor8, 

"the oldrr statute (Artlols 370) till be held to',be IOpealed by fmplioation to the extect of the ooniliot. It 18 ' 

presumed that the Legl8latUm Intended to repeal all,law8 

and pert8 of law8 olearly inoon8i8tent with it8 'later'actra 

(Her$ the latsr,Aot i8 Artiole 6166a.l 39 Tsx. 

G.‘p: i45, s..w (Paranthe8i8 0~x8) Therefore, ws ,re8- 

peot?ully an8wer the. above stated quelrtion in the negatlie. 

,' 

Trwtlng that the forogofng fully an8wem your 

~nqulry; we are 

Your8 very truly 

APTROVED APR. 15, 1942 

Grover seller8 

FIRSTASSISTART 

ATTORN-IEY GZNERAL 

AW:f?, 

ATTORNEY 0BNERA.L OF TEXAS 

BY 

ArdellViilliai~s 

Assistant 

. . 

574 

AW;ww