Court Opinion

ID: 9759394
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 00:15:04.420111+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:04:06.997597
License: Public Domain

DALLY, Judge,
concurring.
Both the majority and dissenting opinions attempt to deal in an indirect manner with *625Art. 42.13, Sec. 8, V.A.C.C.P., the provisions of which cannot be satisfactorily reconciled.1
Sec. 3(b) provides that if a jury recommends probation, the court must grant the defendant probation; yet the same sentence provides that a defendant must first meet the requirements of Sec. 3(a)(4) that the court believe the ends of justice and the best interest of society and of the defendant will be served by granting the defendant probation. This permits the court to override the jury’s recommendation to grant probation in any case in which the court feels the best interest of society and the defendant will not be served by granting probation. Also, it appears that even when a jury recommends probation of a fine, the recommendation is not binding on the court because Sec. 3(a)(3) permits the court to override a jury recommendation to probate the fine.
It is obvious to me that the legislature intended that a court be bound by a jury’s recommendation to grant misdemeanor probation and intended that the jury could recommend probation of either a fine or imprisonment, or both. Therefore, since the provisions of the statute are in conflict, I would reconcile that conflict by holding that if a defendant satisfies the requirements of Sec. 3(aXl) and (2), and the jury hearing the defendant’s case recommends probation, the court must grant probation and that the trial court cannot override the jury’s recommendation in any way, such as assessing a fine as a condition of probation. If this is not what the legislature intended, it can make its intention clear in its next session.
I concur in the result reached by the majority.
ROBERTS and W. C. DAVIS, JJ., join in this opinion.

. Art. 42.13, Sec. 3(a) and (b), V.A.C.C.P., reads as follows:
“(a) A defendant who has been found guilty of a misdemeanor wherein the maximum permissible punishment is by confinement in jail or by a fine in excess of $200.00 or by both such fine and imprisonment may be granted probation if:
“(1) he applied by written motion under oath to the court for probation before trial;
“(2) he has not been granted probation nor been under probation under this Act or any other Act in the preceding 5 years; provided that the court may grant probation regardless of the prior probation of the defendant, except for a like offense within the last 5 years;
“(3) he has paid all costs of his trial and so much of any fine imposed as the court directs; and
“(4) the court believes that the ends of justice and the best interests of society and of the defendants will be served by granting him probation.
“(b) If a defendant satisfies all the requirements of Section 3(a)(1), (2), (3) and (4) of this Article, and the jury hearing his case recommends probation in its verdict, the court must grant the defendant probation. The court may grant the defendant probation regardless of the recommendation of the jury or the prior conviction of the defendant, except for a like offense within the last five years. The court may, however, extend the term of the probationary period to any length of time not exceeding the maximum time of confinement allowed by law. In the event the probation is revoked in accordance with Section 6, the judgment of the court shall not prescribe any penalty in excess of that imposed by the jury.”