Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

‘;I, ii $1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable S, Y. Lists?, Chairman Ten18 Prfaon Board Qsoond Z?atlonal Bank Building Bollsten, Tezas I Dear Sir: y prleonar~ to cifiolairr,'sea- of 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 Can- era1 Managem to prooeed in accord- imoe 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 enl- mal, rehlole or.othar person&l property be- longing 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,.pro- vldlng ?or%he quaount to be paid by 8uoh o??laer or em loya,~?or the ~80, employ- men and 80331p 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 other- wise, 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 trua- ty ahall be ermitted to leave the prison where auoh person P s looeted except upon bucllness oon- neoted 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 aocompenisdby 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 elee- where,~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 ofttha 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 en- roroe 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 Art- 1018 01841 end 6lS4j, Vernon's Annotatad Civil Statutes pro- vide 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, : .. 574 ~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 ganeral- ly, but this polioy was chasged, and the he8ing o? ,oon- viate 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, pro- hibiting the leacling o? oonviote which wa8 enaoted in 19127. Apparently this has bsenthe p.olloyo? 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 repeal Art1016 379, .eup,+a, However, these two 8tatuts8 are fn par1 mat8ria dnd th81r~provielon8 la suoh re8peot eahnot be‘rsoonollod. Im'8uoh.o1roum8tanor8, "the oldrr statute (Artlols 370) till be held to',beIO- pealed 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 ATTORNEY 0BNERA.L OF TEXAS Groverseller8 FIRSTASSISTART ATTORN-IEYGZNERAL BY ArdellViilliai~s AW:f?, Assistant AW;ww