Richardson v. State

733 S.W.2d 947, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 8064
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 17, 1987·No. 3-85-289-CR·Published·Cited by 22 cases

Opinion

POWERS, Justice.

The trial-court judgment convicts Benjamin Franklin Richardson of involuntary manslaughter, a lesser-included offense of murder for which he was indicted. Tex. Pen.Code Ann. §§ 19.02 and 19.05 (1974). The jury found that Richardson used a deadly weapon during the commission of the offense, and assessed punishment at ten years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine. Richardson was sentenced accordingly. Following the denial of his motion for new trial, Richardson appealed to this Court, We will affirm the judgment below.

The offense transpired when Richardson, at his daughter’s house, quarreled with another man. Richardson drew a pistol and stumbled toward the victim. The pistol struck the victim in the head and discharged, killing him.

THE JURY INSTRUCTION ON PAROLE

The jury were instructed, at the punishment stage of the trial, according to the provisions of Tex.Code Cr.P.Ann. art. 37.-07, § 4(a) (Supp.1987):

Sec. 4. (a) In the penalty phase of the trial of a felony case in which the punishment is to be assessed by the jury rather than the court, if the offense of which the jury has found the defendant guilty is listed in Section [3g(a)(l) ], Article 42.-12, of this code or if the judgment contains an affirmative finding under Section [3g(a)(2) ], Article 42.12, of this code, unless the defendant has been convicted of a capital felony the court shall charge the jury in writing as follows:
“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 *950 or 20 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 these 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.”

Richardson contends the statute is unconstitutional on two grounds. First, he argues that the statute directs the judicial department, through the jury, to interfere with the clemency powers specifically assigned the Governor and the Board of Pardons and Paroles in Tex. Const. Art. IV, § 11. Second, Richardson argues the statute is unconstitutional because the jury cannot understand the required instruction.

We first observe that a distinguished viewpoint holds that the kind of jury instruction mandated by art. 37.07, § 4(a) “is so fraught with peril, it is not worth the risk.” Monroe v. State, 689 S.W.2d 450, 455, n. 4 (Tex.Cr.App.1985) (Clinton, J., dissenting). Nevertheless, the Legislature has assumed the risk and the issue reduces to whether Richardson has overcome the presumption that the legislative product is constitutional. Before turning to that question, we will set out what we believe were the intentions of the Legislature in their promulgation of art. 37.07, § 4(a).

We believe the purpose of the statute and the instruction it requires was to erect a barrier against any discussion by the jury of the parole law and good-conduct time, in order that these improper considerations might be precluded and punishment be assessed solely on proper considerations. The purpose is a valid one in every respect. The difficulty arises owing to the theory chosen to effectuate this valid purpose.

The Legislature evidently reasoned that parole law and good-conduct time often became topics of jury discussion simply because jurors were not correctly informed about such matters — their differing views and impressions, gleaned primarily from publicity, gave rise to doubts and queries that blossomed into full-scale discussions. Giving the jury accurate and authoritative information, in advance of their deliberations, might tend to diminish such discussions to the extent they were engendered in the first instance by incorrect information. Next, the giving of such correct information would mechanically eliminate at least one large category of reversible jury misconduct — those instances where the jury received and acted upon misstatements of the law pertaining to parole and good-conduct time, made by a persuasive but misinformed juror. Moreoever, the Legislature evidently believed that correctly informed jurors would be more inclined to obey the trial court’s instruction not to consider parole and good-conduct time as they might affect the particular defendant before them, and to defend against and admonish any juror who might attempt to interject those considerations. Finally, by clearly setting out the working of the law pertaining to parole and good-conduct time — particularly the future contingencies upon which they depended — the jury would be given a practical reason for the abstract distinction drawn in the concluding instructions that they might consider the “existence” of the parole laws and good-conduct time, but they must not consider those factors as they might affect the “particular defendant” before them.

Judicial Interference with Clemency Powers of the Governor and Board of Pardons and Paroles. Article IV, § 11 of the Texas Constitution provides as follows:

*951 The Legislature shall by law establish a Board of Pardons and Paroles and shall require it to keep record of its actions and the reasons for its actions. The Legislature shall have authority to enact parole laws.

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Richardson v. State, 733 S.W.2d 947, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 8064 (Tex. Ct. App. 1987).

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