OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Naroh 81, 1939 

HOE. W. AL Tuoker 

a0wy Attorney 

%.llin@m, Texas 

Lear Sir: 

unty, Psxwihar. a pepulatlcm 

a last prsga5lag te48ml 

d.a5osounor sad h!lu Qtmluhmonb 16 asueeaod 

at a poouaiary fine, ii he is usable to pay 

the tins an5 oestu adju5~5 againat hi+ 

ho may for mob-the es till 8eaElcii the 

$aQpnont k put to uo* to the wo2! kh ouao 

on Ishe aotMty far&, or pubHo ii~~~rown& 

or 
Hon. W. U. Tnoker, aarch 21, 1939, Page 2 

of the ocunty, as provided in the suooeed1x1~ Artiole, or if there be no suoh workhouse, farpl or Improvements, he shall be 

impriscned in Jail for a sufficient length 

of time to disaharge the in11 amount of 

flw and oosta adjudged against him; rating 

sooh labor or lmprlsonmnt at Three Dollars 

($3) for each day thereof; provided, howwar, that la all aoant%es In this Stat0 

aQntainiry, apQpul+iQa OiaQt l.M thu 

tmaty-foe thQw$aa *, aa5m6 '*i&hty 

W4~16OJ aor8o~~thaatpeat~iour tbeaudd 

two aIQ#5rd ol4;ao)~"or la aiy aotit1.i 

fifty (7,150); ul5 lli OoontiM 0oateiI.L~ 

l papalden o f no t 1 088 thn ta ir t~ t-a 

ung han5a-d an& MTO~ {30,707).nor~+3ra 

thamthirtyth- mwen&tmalrd~ aSm 

(30ro,70S)& aad ln wantiu aontnlalag a pepulntlon oi not lam thaa twatpe+ena thoman4 

rin huu5.rea rorty4d.80 (27,849) nor - 

than twmy-08nn th0tm3a rit0 -4 rirtp 

cma (Z7 SSll; 8ad in oountiea qoitaln* a 

p0pd0n or not 1~8 thrn aw00a thoound 

ate h-5 tmmty~l&ht (lS,lS8) nor mere 

than nlnekeathowan5 QM l1wlre5ththir3j- 

(19 lS0); am5 ln oountle8 ooatelnlog a pqml&on of not leu thaa eIghtem tWun& 

el&ht hundred iI.ftpnbm (16;SSP) aor mare 

than ai6htOOn thoumad 8iX hw&l'& 8%Xty+IM 
Eon. 2.. 2. T-uoker, Marah 21, 1939, Fage 3 

(18,661); end in oountiee oontalninp, a

population of not less than ten thousand 

and thirteen (10,013) nor score than ten 

thousand snd fifteen (10,015), according 

to the last preceding Federal Census, when 

a defecdant is aonvioted of a misdemeanor 

anti hls punishment is assassed at a peouniary fine, if he is unable to pay the fine, 

If he 18 unable to pay the tine and oosts 

adjndga5 against him, ho may ~OZ suoh tlms 

as will satisfy the jrddpunt be put to work 

In the workhouss or on the county faa, or 

publio i.aprcmmonts at the asunty, as provided In the suooss5Isg Artlole, or If taers 

bs no suoh Workhouss, ran or Smprsvamsnts, 

he.shall bs laprlsoue5 la jail tor.s~mcffloient lssgth of tlm ts 5lsshargs the Sull 

aaouut or flse asd~oosts a5 ~%$~*s;st 

him, rating suoh labsr as5 

at not lsss than One Dollar +i 1) 

nor aora than Three Dollars( 1 S) 

per day 

psr day. 

"Tha.OmalssionorwOourt of aaah sush 

oounty as. deflnsd by papolstion braoksts abws 

In this State, at ssy rqular or spssial 

km, shall, by emler ra50 and sntsrad Is 

the minutes or said COurt, dstsnlns the rats 

or WA&S to ba pal5 ssnviots Is their reepaotln oousties for lsbor or Saprisonment 

per day In aaoordanoa hemIth.W 

ArtIols 793 or the Oods of Orinisal Prsssdurs 

In 1923 provided that uhss a defeqlant is ooafIots5 

of a misdemeanor and his punishment Is aases8e5 et a 

peouniary rim and that If ha is unable to pay t.b fins 

and ooats adju5gad agafnst him that ha aoul.5 satisfy 

the fine and oosts b]r Imprfssnmant In Jail or by bsIng 

put to work in the workhouse sr on the county farr sr 

publio Improvamsnts of the oosnty, rating suoh labor 

or ImprIsonmeat at $3.00 isr eaoh day tharsof. !PhIs 

art1010 was amended by tha Asts sf 19t7, (0th bg18tiaturn First Called Sssalos, page 194, ohaptar 68, 

Ebotjon 1, by rsdnolng the rate irOn $sioO:par day 

to.Q.00 per day. This art1010 was again%msmds5 by 
tti .9&a of 1934, 43rE Le6$slature, Second Called S~SS~OII, 

page 85, ohnpt.cr ?z, sect3on& by chnnglnr the rate from 

c1.m per day t,o Y3.0~3 per day. This article was agaln 

amended by the 4ats OP 1937, 45th LesZslnturc, 1st Called 

Session, House Ml1 45, Seotion 1, which is the present 

law above set out. It will be noted thet the present 

Article 793, Px?e oi Criminal Procedure provides generally 

that the rate ehall he $3.00 throughout the State, but 

there are IIUWNWUS sxoeptlona uhhioh apply to oonntiea 

oi oertaln papolatlon btaokets. DollIn&awmth Comty, 

!Pemm does not oome withia sny or the population bnokets 

set out In nttlole 793 and. thereiora, the &wirra+wl rata 

of $3.00 Is applloable to OollIn6swwth Cotmty. 

Hon. 'Z. r:. Tucker, i:arch 21, 1939, Page 4 

ArtIole 79%. 794a, 794b, 7940 an5 7945 oi tha 

Uods of CrImInal Pmoedmo am not applIoabl0 to Oolllry~- 

rorth County, Texes beoauso C)ollin@Wrth County 50as n0t 

. zg;0E;hIa any ot the pqmlatlon breoksts nam5 la ui5 

. 

ArtlOla OeO Of tha CO50 OS Criminal PN0a5IUa 

ot Texas reads as r0rm8: 

*& defendant plaoed In jail 011 soooant 

or railurs to pay tbo-tine and oosts aan be 

dlsohargad on heb0as OorpUS by shhorlm@ 

"1.. That he is tdo poor to pay the rim 

snd ooats, and 

That he has remained in jail a surfi0tOe*&th of tiab to 80ti8ry the rin0 and 

oosts, at-the 

day* 

rate of three dollars for eaoh 

*But the defendant shall* In no oese mdor 

this .artiole, be dlsohsrged until he hae bean 

hprlmne5 at least ten daya; and a justioe of 

the pea58 nay discharge the de+ndant upon hI8 

#horiB the same oause, by applloatioa t0 SUOh 

Justl00; and when mob appliaatlon Is grantadd 

the justlae shall note the same oii his dookoteu 

~~%Iols oeo or tba Oo50 or Orklnal Prooodur0 

-Or T~XLUB is toun4 In ohapter 2 or title ll W the Code 
Hon. kV. 2. Tucker, Karch 21, 1939, Page 5 

of CrIminel Froaedu*.e of Texas w?ifah relates to JUstioe aourts. t&lo18 920 of the :Toie of ~rimlnsl 

l'rooedure, therercre, relates particularly ati applies 

particulerly tci justice courts. 

Xe have corefiilly considoreE the fo:loring 

cases cited by you In your able brief, towit: 

Ex Farte Fernandes, 57 SK (2nd) 578 

2x Parta I'olly, 12 sn' (2nd) 16 

16x Parte Rowler, 15 SW (2nd) 1115 

Ex Parte Baptlnatall, 39 6sl (2nd) 95 

au&me have reaahed the aoaaluslon that there is no ooarllot between these oases. 

¶%a Rowley oasa raa daolded Yaroh ZQ, 1989, 

whonthe 1989 awn&e6 atdate wmi in ru roroe and erroot whloh provided the rate of $l.Oa per day for jail 

wrrlos or work upon the ooimty farm or othar Impmnawrits. The Ex Part8 Polly aasa was deolded February 

W.1929, atwhleh time the 1989 amended artlola wa8 

ia rtm for08 and arr~etwhloh provldad for the 41.00 

per day rate aboreiwntloned. The ISr Parta Xepfindall 

oass wee dsoldsd on the 10th day of June, 1931, at 

whfoh-time the 1939 amended atiole vaa In roll rm80 

and erreot whIoh prmlded for the $1.00 per day rats 

ahovwentlonsd~ In eaoh oi *e nbom oases, Ex Parta 

Polly, 6x Psrte Rowley and Ex Parts Reptl~stall, the 

data of the orfanses of whioh the defendants were eonrioted was after the date ot the passage or the amended 

aot of 1929 and prior to the 

i: 

awage of the amended aot 

of 1954, and. therefore, the 1.00 per day rats legally 

applied. In neither of these thme oneeta was the oonvtotion In the justiae eowt. 

The oase of Er Parte Fernaadez, 59 5U (2nd) 

598 ma d&aided February 15, 1955, by the Court of 

Crhlnal Appeals.of Texas; the rslator, Fernandes, was 

oonrieted In the JoMoe eoort of a misdemeanor and his 

pwltihment aaaeesed at e iine of $50.00 and co&S, 

amounting to $16.00. The quwtlon in this ease was 

whether or not the relator should be allowed $5.00 per 

day or $1.00 per day fsr hI8 serv100 in Jail. 
Bon. K. ?A:. Tucker, Karch 21, 1939, Pace 6 ' 

The court held In this ease that Article 

920 of the C&e of Criminal Proaedure was mandatory 

and the relator was allowed $3.00 per day for his aerricea In jail. Thia opinion dIstinguIshed this aasa 

from the Zx Parte Folly case by saying that t3e oonvlction in tt!e Polly case was In the El Peso County 

Ccurt at Law. It dlstIngu*shed the Er Parte RI11 

ease by saying thtt t>c conviction wes in the 3istrIot 

Ccurt of Falls Ccunty, Texas. It dIstinGuished the 

Er Parte Howler Case by saying that the oonrlofion 

wee In the County Court at Law of Wlohlta County. 

The court farther stated as followsr 

Y'hs chapter In which artlole OZO, 

rrupra, appears Is oos bavIng reference to 

a Judgeaat or aonvIotIon in a arImIna1 

action behre a justtao afthc peaae. 

-am what has bean @aid It 1s apparent 

t?mt the ektntory waatawts make a dietlnotion on, the wbjaot In hand rith ro-. 

farwoo to the oonvlotion ai a nlsd~or 

baiora the Juatlae of tha paaoe and the 

oonrIotIon of a mlsdamaanor ln oonrt* 

or higher jurIsdIotIon. The raaBon for 

the dIstInotlon pay bs only a matter oi 

oon jcotura . Slnoa the statutory direction 

wao deiInIts In Its terara, the duty or the 

oourt to apply It as writton Is mandatory. 

Kowerer, it ray ba raid that the juatlea 

oourts are limited by the Oonstltutlon (art& 

ale 5 Para. 19 In oririndl~a to a fin8 

not exceeding i ZOO, while un4cr atilols 5, pam. 

16, other oourts are gi~an ~urIsdIotIon in 

lniedemeanors of muoh higher grade and with 

penalti es far more severe. 

?From the foregoing, It ia plain that 

the relator having bean oonvIoted In tira 

justioe oourt, being too poor to pay his 

fine, end having remained In jail more than 

ten days and ior a tIme eufficient to disaharge his fine, It Is thought that the 

reletor'o appllaation for a writ Of habeas 

oorpus should haves been granted." ./ 

. : 
Hon. W. Ii. Tuoker, Uaroh 21, 1939, Page 7 

It will be noted that in the Es Parte Feruandez case that the oourt olearly recognized the prinoiple 

that a person xho had been oonoioted of a misderrmanor 

in the Justice court and who wss sarving his time in 

Jail must remain in Jail at l.east ten days and Sor a 

time sufficient to disoharge his fine. 

In answer to your first question, you are respectfully advised that it is the opinion of this Dapartment that 3Z.03 per day is the proper rate for allowanoe 

or osedit to be given prisoners who have been oonvioted 

of miodemeaaoro for oomIng tire In jail or for working 

out their fines as prod&d by law la Oolllagow0rth 

a0my, ~0~00. Itlo the furthoropInlon or this Doportmont tb0t ArtI MO of the Code or arwl Preoodure of Texoo a plIoo 

justloo ooart8 g 

only to eonVIotIono obtaInad,In 

ut the oamo IO nandatary OS appllod to 

juotioe soarto. for oromplo, A. 8. md a u.m ill oenr2otod I8 just100 sotdo ror mIoaem0aaor. A*O rim urd 

soots amoust .~~.&S.OO; Bye ilie uxd aooto emomt to 

#O&O crud&w oad~0oto moidtto $4SAO. War 

Irtl010 QW dth0 aodo Of aririnil ProaOQ-, oMO@I 

sol& art1010 allouo &MO per day ror Jail 0orvi00, till 

artIola'?arthor p&doe 8 mInIam of tea days ImprImmoat. A must l orvo tbo iinimtm of ton days; B mot oorve 

ton days. B'o iIne and ooot6 mt to #SO.OO, whloh 

d$vldod by #SAO would moko tan days. 6.0 fine and 

oootoamouatto(4S&O; ho Is allowed #f!LOO per days 

ho must servo flftooa days. 

With rororonoe to your oeoond qrrootlon, uo 

rind that c~ili~orth a0Qnty &OS not 008~0 within 

the population braakoto oi any emoption whioh would 

give tho OoamIooIonero* Court authority to doteamIne 

wages of prIoonors for lobor, Jail aorrIo0 or Imprloonmont and your oeoond quwtloa, thorefora, IO roopeotfully answered In the negaative. 

Very truly your0 

WJRAW 

ATTOBXBY GEHlcRAL OF TIEx89