STATE COUNSEL FOR OFFENDERS LEGAL HANDBOOK

1 STATE COUNSEL FOR OFFENDERS LEGAL HANDBOOK Twelfth Revised Edition Texas Department of Criminal Justice 2016 Volume 1 of 2 DISCLAIMER This HANDBOOK is a cooperative effort of the STATE COUNSEL for OFFENDERS (SCFO) employees and is created for intra-agency use within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It is in no way intended as an authoritative LEGAL source to be substituted for LEGAL advice for attorneys. Users may contact their unit law library or SCFO to ensure they have the latest edition. LEGAL HANDBOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION - General Information.

2 1 - What is STATE COUNSEL for OFFENDERS ? ..2 - Criminal Defense Section ..2 - Civil Defense Section ..2 - Appellate Section ..3 - LEGAL Services - How to Contact STATE COUNSEL for OFFENDERS ..5 - Areas Beyond STATE COUNSEL for OFFENDERS Scope of Assistance ..6 - Alternative Avenues to Seek Assistance ..7 CAP TULO 1 INTRODUCCI N ..8 CHAPTER 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 2 - LEGAL RESEARCH - Introduction ..1 - Sources of the Law ..1 - Beginning Your Research ..2 - Basic Research - LEGAL Writing ..9 CHAPTER 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 3 - TRIAL AND APPELLATE PROCESS - Criminal Defense Section ..1 - Before Appointment of COUNSEL .

3 1 - Appointment of COUNSEL ..2 - Criminal Discovery after the Michael Morton Act ..3 - After Appointment of COUNSEL ..4 - At Court ..5 - Post - Basic Appellate Information ..6 - The Appellate Record ..7 - The Appellate Attorney ..8 - The Appellate Process ..10 - The Anders Brief Procedure ..12 - Petition for Discretionary Review ..13 - The Format of the Petition ..13 - Extension of Time ..13 - Rules on Filings ..14 - The PDR in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ..14 - The STATE COUNSEL for OFFENDERS Attorney and Your Appeal ..17 - Questions OFFENDERS Often Ask ..18 - Table of Authorities ..25 CHAPTER 4 - TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 4 - HABEAS CORPUS Introductory Note.

4 5 STATE COUNSEL for OFFENDERS and Habeas Corpus .. 6 Chapter 4 - Habeas Corpus .. 7 - Habeas Corpus Relief .. 7 - The STATE Conviction .. 7 - Introduction .. 7 - The Effect of a Trial .. 7 - Habeas Corpus Generally .. 7 - The Effect of a Writ of Habeas Corpus ..9 - Texas STATE Court Procedure ..10 - Procedure in Texas District Courts ..10 - Contents of a Writ Application .. 10 - Filing the Application .. 11 - STATE s Answer .. 11 - Trial Court s Response .. 11 - Procedure in the Court of Criminal Appeals .. 13 - Forms ..13 - Obstacles to Writ Relief .. 13 - Subsequent Writ Applications.

5 13 - Timeliness, or Laches .. 14 - The Contemporaneous Objection 15 - Harmless Error .. 16 - Waiver of the Right to File a Writ Application .. 17 - The Claim is One Best Suited for Direct Appeal .. 17 - Miscellaneous Limitations .. 17 A. Police Brutality/Misconduct .. 17 B. Illegal Arrests .. 18 C. Denial of Bail .. 18 D. Denial of an Examining Trial .. 18 E. Discretionary Actions by a Trial Judge .. 18 F. Defects in an Indictment .. 18 G. Retroactive Application of the Law .. 18 H. Stacking Orders .. 19 I. Deadly Weapon Findings .. 19 J. Evidentiary Sufficiency .. 19 - The Fourth Amendment: Illegal Searches and Seizures.

6 20 - The Fourth Amendment and Habeas Corpus .. 20 - Ineffectiveness for Failure to File a Motion to 21 - The Fifth Amendment .. 21 - Involuntary Confessions .. 21 - Generally .. 21 - In Habeas Corpus Proceedings .. 22 - Explanations, Limitations, and Exceptions .. 22 A. Miranda Warnings .. 22 B. Jackson v. Denno Hearings .. 24 C. Invoking Miranda s Protections .. 24 D. Self-Incriminating Testimony .. 25 E. Exceptions to Miranda .. 26 i. The Public Safety 26 ii. The Fruits Exception .. 26 iii. Use for Impeachment Purposes .. 26 iv. The Booking Exception .. 26 - Double Jeopardy and Collateral Estoppel.

7 27 - Double Jeopardy Generally .. 27 - Other Developments .. 30 A. Waiver .. 30 B. Punishment Requirement .. 30 - Grounds for Writ - Sixth Amendment .. 31 - Denial of the Right to COUNSEL .. 31 - Sixth Amendment: Ineffective Assistance of COUNSEL .. 34 - The Foundations of Ineffective Assistance of COUNSEL .. 34 - Bases of a Claim of Ineffectiveness .. 35 A. Common Ineffectiveness Claims .. 35 i. Failure to Investigate .. 35 ii. Failure to Pursue Defenses .. 35 iii. Pretrial Ineffectiveness .. 36 iv. Ineffective Use of Witnesses .. 36 v. Jury Instruction Neglect .. 36 vi. Jury Selection Negligence .. 37 vii.

8 Failure to Object .. 37 viii. Erroneous Advice/Failure to Advise .. 38 ix. Defense COUNSEL and Plea Offers .. 38 x. Professional Misconduct .. 39 B. Ineffective Assistance of COUNSEL after Conviction .. 39 i. Ineffective Direct Appeals COUNSEL .. 39 ii. Ineffective Habeas Corpus 40 C. Conflicts of Interest .. 40 D. Insufficient Participation .. 41 - Ineffectiveness and the Contemporaneous Objection Rule .. 41 - Right to Trial by an Impartial Jury and/or Grand Jury .. 42 - The Right to Confront and Cross-Examine Witnesses .. 44 - The Testimonial Requirement .. 44 - Codefendant Testimony .. 45 - Confrontation and Habeas Corpus.

9 46 - 6th and 14th Amendments: Compulsory Process .. 46 - New Developments in the Eighth Amendment .. 47 - The Fourteenth Amendment .. 48 - Introduction .. 48 - Specific Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Claims .. 48 - Prejudicial Lineup Procedures .. 48 - Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence ( Brady claims) .. 49 - Knowing Introduction of False Testimony .. 49 - Destruction of Evidence .. 50 - No Evidence .. 50 - Prosecutorial Vindictiveness .. 50 - Anders Briefing .. 51 - Defendant Forced to Wear Jail Clothes at Trial .. 51 - Improper Prosecutorial Comment .. 52 - Equal Protection Clause: Batson 52 - Pleas of Guilty and Due 52 - Overturning a Plea of Guilty or Nolo Contendere.

10 52 - Vacating an Involuntary Plea .. 53 - Plea Bargains as Contracts .. 54 - The Ex Post Facto Clause and Statutes of Limitations .. 55 - STATE Grounds for Relief .. 57 - Fatally-Flawed Indictments .. 57 - Out-of-Time Appeals .. 57 - General 57 - Out-of-Time Appeal and Texas Habeas 59 - Out-of-Time Appeal and Federal Habeas Corpus .. 59 - Improper Sentences and Their Remedies .. 59 - Illegal Sentences .. 60 - Improper Stacking .. 60 - Enhancements and Deadly Weapon Findings .. 61 - Harmless Error and Illegal Sentences .. 61 - Direct Appeal and Waiver .. 62 - Invited Error and Waiver.