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Wilson v. State
240 S.W.2d 774
Tex. Crim. App.
1951
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DAVIDSON, Judge.

Upon his plea of guilty before the court, appellant was, on September 27, 1950, convicted in the district court of Travis County for automobile theft, with punishment assessed at five yeаrs in the penitentiary.

Imposition of sentence was by the trial court suspended, and appellant was placed upon probation for a period of five years, undеr the authority of the Adult Probation and Parole Law, appearing as Art. 781b, Vernon’s C. C. P.

The prоbation was, among other things, contingent upon appellant’s not commiting any offense against the laws of this state.

Thereafter, on January 17, 1951, the district attorney of Travis County filed in said court a motion seeking to have the probation revoked ‍​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍because of a violation of the above mentioned contingency — in that appellant had unlawfully сarried a pistol upon his person.

The motion for revocation came on tо be heard on February 6, 1951, when the trial court revoked the probation and imposition оf sentence, upon a finding that appellant had vio *230 lated the probation in the рarticular mentioned, and thereupon proceeded to pass sentencе upon appellant for a term of two years from January 25, 1951.

To this action of the court appellant excepted and gave notice of appeal to this court.

The right to appeal from the conviction, as well as the revocatiоn of probation, ‍​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍is expressly allowed by Sec. 5 of Art. 781b, Vernon’s C. C. P. See Baker v. State, 151 Tex. Cr. R. 454, 209 S. W. 2d 769.

Apрellant contends (a) that he was entitled to a jury trial upon the hearing of the motion to revoke the probation, and that the trial court erred in refusing to accord him such a trial, and (b) that the statute is invalid in authorizing a revocation of probation at a heаring without a trial by jury.

The Adult Probation and Parole Law (Art. 781b, Vernon’s C. C. P.), passed by virtue of constitutional аuthority (Art. 4, Sec. 11A, Vernon’s Ann. St. Const.), authorizes the courts therein mentioned to extend clemency to convicts by way of probation, under such circumstances and conditions as the сourt shall determine.

No authority exists in the convict to require such clemency, for that is a matter exclusively within the discretion of the court. Ex Parte Baker, supra.

When a court extends clemency under the statute, the relationship existing is, in a way, contractual — that is, the court agrees with the convict that. clemency by way of probation will be extendеd if he will ‍​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍keep and perform certain requirements and conditions, the violation of which will authorize the revocation of the probation. In this particular, there exists the similаrity existing in conditional pardons.

The convict surrenders no right, privilege, or consideratiоn for the clemency extended. In accepting the clemency, he does so undеr the conditions upon which it is extended. Obviously, therefore, the proceeding to revoke probation is not a trial, as that term is used and contemplated by the Constitution in reference to criminal cases, and is not a proceeding required to be conducted as such a trial.

Appellant was not, therefore, entitled to a jury trial upon *231 the issue as to whether he had violated the terms of probation or whether the probation should be revoked.

Whether the Adult Probation and Parole Law hаs been properly implemented by the appointment of supervisors and parole officers, as provided in the act, is a matter about which appellant cannot be heard to complain. The clemency by way of probation extended tо him was by the court and not through the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

As heretofore noted, the punishment imposed by the trial court in the judgment was five years’ confinement in the penitеntiary. The imposition of sentence upon that ‍​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍judgment was suspended. When the trial court сame on to revoke such suspension and impose sentence, appellant was sentenced to two years in the penitentiary.

The variance in the punishment assessed in the judgment and that imposed by the sentence is apparent.

In such cases, authority lies in this court to reform the sentence to conform to the judgment. McKinley v. State, 117 Tex. Cr. R. 243, 35 S. W. 2d 148.

Acсordingly the sentence is now here reformed so as to fix appellant’s punishment at nоt less than two nor more than five years’ confinement in the penitentiary.

As so reformed, and finding no reversible error ‍​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍in the case, the judgment is affirmed.

Opinion approved by the court.

Case Details

Case Name: Wilson v. State
Court Name: Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
Date Published: Jun 13, 1951
Citation: 240 S.W.2d 774
Docket Number: 25332
Court Abbreviation: Tex. Crim. App.
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