Griffin v. State

811 S.W.2d 221, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 1433, 1991 WL 95411
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 6, 1991
DocketNo. 01-86-00338-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 811 S.W.2d 221 (Griffin v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Griffin v. State, 811 S.W.2d 221, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 1433, 1991 WL 95411 (Tex. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

OPINION ON REMAND FROM THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

DUNN, Justice.

A jury found appellant, Glenn Arnold Griffin, guilty of aggravated sexual assault and assessed punishment at 55 years confinement.

In an unpublished opinion, this Court affirmed appellant’s conviction. This Court determined that appellant waived his right to challenge the constitutionality of the jury charge during the punishment phase of the trial; the charge included an instruction on parole and good conduct time (“a Rose charge”). Griffin v. State, No. 01-86-00338-CR, 1987 WL 10545 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist], May 7, 1987, pet. granted) (unpublished). In addition, this Court determined that the trial court’s instruction to the jury to follow the charge cured any error caused by the prosecutor’s argument that the minimum time appellant served on his sentence could be reduced by the award of good conduct time. Id.

The Court of Criminal Appeals held that the jury charge, which included a Rose charge, was unconstitutional and remanded the cause to this Court to determine if the Rose charge was harmful. Griffin v. State, 787 S.W.2d 63, 68 (Tex.Crim.App.1990). The Court of Criminal Appeals also concluded that the prosecutor’s jury argument referring to the award of good conduct time was a misstatement of the law, and that the trial court’s instruction to follow the charge did not cure any error because the charge was inaccurate. Id. [223]*223Consequently, the court remanded the cause to this Court to fully consider the issue. Id.

In his first point of error on remand, appellant contends that the trial court unconstitutionally charged the jury on the law of parole and good conduct time and the record fails to show that appellant was not harmed by the charge. In his second point of error on remand, appellant contends that the trial court erred in allowing the prosecutor to argue that the minimum time appellant served on his sentence could be reduced by the award of good conduct time; appellant contends that his minimum time served could not be reduced by good conduct time. We consider both points of error together because they are related.

During the punishment stage of the trial, the court charged the jury:

Under the law applicable in this case, the defendant, if sentenced to a term of imprisonment, may earn time off the sentence imposed through the award of good conduct time. Prison authorities may award good conduct time to a prisoner who exhibits good behavior, diligence in carrying out prison work assignments, and attempts at rehabilitation. If a prisoner engages in misconduct, prison authorities may also take away all or part of any good conduct time earned by the prisoner.
It is also possible that the length of time for which the defendant will be imprisoned might be reduced by the award of parole.
Under the law applicable in this case, if the defendant is sentenced to a term of imprisonment, he will not become eligible for parole until the actual time served equals one-third of the sentence imposed or twenty years, whichever is less, without consideration of any good conduct time he may earn. If the defendant is sentenced to a term of less than six years, he must serve at least two years before he is eligible for parole. Eligibility for parole does not guarantee that parole will be granted.
It cannot accurately be predicted how the parole law and good conduct time might be applied to this defendant if he is sentenced to a term of imprisonment, because the application of the laws will depend on decisions made by prison and parole authorities.
You may consider the existence of the parole law and good conduct time. However, you are not to consider the extent to which good conduct time may be awarded to or forfeited by this particular defendant. You are not to consider the manner in which the parole law may be applied to this particular defendant.

The charge was mandatory under the provisions of former Tex.Code Crim.P.Ann. art. 37.07, § 4(a).2

The Court of Criminal Appeals found a charge given pursuant to article 37.07, section four violated the state constitution. Rose v. State, 752 S.W.2d 529, 535, 537 (Tex.Crim.App.1987). If a Rose charge was given, an appellate court must conduct harm analysis under Tex.R.App.P. 81(b)(2). 752 S.W.2d at 554 (op. on reh’g). When the record of a case shows error, an appellate court should reverse a judgment unless “the appellate court determines beyond a reasonable doubt that the error made no contribution ... to the punishment.” Tex. R.App.P. 81(b)(2). The burden is on the State to show absence of harm. Arnold v. State, 786 S.W.2d 295, 298 (Tex.Crim.App.1990), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 111 S.Ct. 110, 112 L.Ed.2d 80 (1990); Rodriguez v. State, 782 S.W.2d 503, 504 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1989, no pet.).

In Arnold, the court listed several factors an appellate court should consider when determining whether a Rose charge was harmful. The factors included:

(1) whether parole was mentioned during voir dire, 786 S.W.2d at 301;
(2) whether the instruction was submitted over the objection of appellant’s trial counsel, Id. at 301-302;
[224]*224(3) whether the prosecutor, during argument, urged the jury to consider the law of parole and good conduct time, Id. at 302-304;
(4) whether the jury, during deliberation, sent any notes to the trial court inquiring about parole or good conduct time, Id. at 304-305;
(5) the punishment assessed, Id. at 305;
(6) whether the jury rejected an application for probation, Id.;
(7) whether a “curative” instruction was given, Id. at 310-11; and
(8) the facts of the particular case, Id. at 311-12.

In the present case, neither parole nor good conduct time were mentioned during voir dire. Appellant’s trial counsel made no objection to the Rose charge. Additionally, the jury directed no notes to the trial court inquiring about parole or good conduct time.

Appellant was convicted of aggravated sexual assault. He broke into the apartment complainant shared with her boyfriend and threatened them with a gun. He tied the boyfriend up and covered his head with a pillowcase. By threatening complainant with a gun, appellant forced her to perform oral sex on her boyfriend, and then appellant performed oral sex on the boyfriend. Appellant then orally, vaginally, and anally raped complainant. During the assault, appellant terrorized complainant by cutting off her shoulder-length hair and cutting off her pubic hair. In addition, appellant robbed the couple. Appellant was convicted of a “heinous” crime.

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Bluebook (online)
811 S.W.2d 221, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 1433, 1991 WL 95411, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/griffin-v-state-texapp-1991.