Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE A’l-rORNEY ITORNEY GENERAL GENERAL OF ‘TEXAS AUSTIN Qua.m Qu4l.mc. WLllW ArromnOmmu. AlTomn Bonol*blr Ben Dmir Oeerlia Cout;t Attorney mron GouB8y &Tanon,Tsar hTa#on, DOW 6i.r; Your requort for op auerully aonslllerd by thlr y0uf requwt l 8 rallow~: _-_ Wll you ilo m tol@wiq &woblear ram the cQlw5.8efonor4i court ve pte a total or #LOO i?or laeh 1. undrrra%and it! the fee whioh I would be eBt2tlOd t0 in 8bWb $&I rUli riB8 UJd OOBtl were pcrld. fionorablo Ben Davis Osaalin, Fag@ 8 to whlah I am not entitled. Kill you please write me and 1st PLOknow just what oourao should be followed. II tha above uplanatlon la not full anou@h pleace let M know and I will attempt to ~rplaln further.* Article loss, Vernon~s 4nBotatra Coda or Criminal Prcc~dure, raada se Sollowsl “Tha county shall not be liable to the OffiWt ‘and WitBOSS h8~lng OOSt8 1~ 8 dSde- meanor oaae where dafandant pays hia fine amI 00mta. Ths oouaty shall be llablo ?or orta- bsir or the ram8 of the 0rrioua Of tha Court, whan the 4arandant falls to pay hla rlna and lays his rlaa out In the county jell or dla- ohargaathe 86ma by meant3 0r workingauah ritk8 out on the oouaty roads or on any oounty pojaot. AM to g8y 8Uoh hair ao8te, the County Clark shall iaeue hlr warrant on tba County Traaaorar in faror 0r sueh 0rfl0w to ba paid out of thr Road and Eridge Lund or other fnads not other- wlaa appropsiated .* lrtlols 920, ?arnon*B Annotated Co&e of Crlalnal pT000aw, appliwble to surtioe courts, roads SR r0Um8: =A derandantplaoau la Jail an acoouat 0r failure to pay the fine and mats oan be dla- obrr&eQ oa haboas corpus by @having: “1, Tht he la too poor to pay tha rim and coet5, and “2. Thet he has ramaload in jail a aui- riciant length or time to satliy the rin8 and aomtu, at the rata 0r thras dallarm r0r aaah day. aoi the defendant *ball, In no ~888 under thir artlola, be diaaharged until ho has been lmpsiaoned at least tan days2 and a juatloe 0r the. pea00 nuy dlrobarga the dafendant upon his ahowlng the aama aauss, by ap.plfeatlon to suoh justiae; and wben auuh a~pllcrcrtlon la granted, the Justlos ahall not6 tba same on hla Ilooket,* , 1. lionorablo Bon Davis Qeaalln, Page 3 iJn6dsr the feats atated~in sorvicc of the defendants wag prl+ 2 ~~~l~;~~~zl~~ and not after their convictlon. no c~i~l~ally be al.fcrea for jell service a to ocnvlotlon. It is our further opinion tbat the Justice bad no authority to give the dofandanto oredit for oaid Jail eervicaald that the defendants &ill. owe the balance of their fine and co$t6, an6 earns ie nova oollaotlble a6 in other carom. It 18 our further opinion that the county la not now liable for any ooste In the aa6e to any ofrioor under tb fact6 ststed. For your inform&ion we are maloalng barawltb oopiss of opinions #OS. O-l@&8 and O-1792 of tbls Aagart- ment which baa1 with collmotlon of lines and costa in Juatfao Courts. Very truly yours WF: lb 2 sno.