Texas Constitution:Article III, Section 51-c: Difference between revisions

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* ''Brown v. City of Houston'', 660 S.W.3d 749,
* ''Brown v. City of Houston'', 660 S.W.3d 749, [https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12437101429954066189#p755 755-56] (Tex. 2023) ("Over a century after Texas authorized state penitentiaries . . . . That sovereign policy decision manifested itself in a constitutional amendment approved in November 1956, which authorizes the legislature to 'grant aid and compensation to any person' fined or imprisoned 'for an offense for which he or she is not guilty, under such regulations and limitations as the Legislature may deem expedient.' Tex. Const. art. III, § 51-c. The amendment was a cautious, aspirational step. It did not directly promise anything to anyone, for by its terms the amendment was not self-executing.")
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755] (Tex. 2023)


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None.
* ''State v. Clements'', 319 S.W.2d 450, [https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2413660204882182745#p452 452] (Tex.Civ.App.–Texarkana 1958, ref'd) ("The expressed objectives of the amendment are to: (1) Make innocent persons fined or imprisoned for violating the law of Texas a subject of aid and compensation; (2) remove, as to the class of persons named in the amendment, the prohibition of Sec. 51, Art. III against granting funds to an individual; (3) empower enactment of such regulations and limitations the Legislature decides will promote the objective of aid and compensation to the class of persons named. . . . The right to receive aid and compensation is contingent upon action by the Legislature.")


|seo_title=Article III, Section 51-c of the Texas Constitution ("Aid or Compensation to Persons Improperly Fined or Imprisoned")
|seo_title=Article III, Section 51-c of the Texas Constitution ("Aid or Compensation to Persons Improperly Fined or Imprisoned")
|seo_keywords=Article 3 Section 51-c, improperly imprisoned, grants authorized  
|seo_keywords=Article 3 Section 51-c, improperly punished, grants authorized
|seo_description=The Legislature may grant aid or compensation to any person who has been improperly fined or imprisoned.
|seo_description=The Legislature may grant aid or compensation to persons who have been improperly fined or imprisoned.
|seo_image=Texas_Constitution_of_1876_Article_3.jpg
|seo_image=Texas_Constitution_of_1876_Article_3.jpg
|seo_image_alt=Article III: Legislative Department
|seo_image_alt=Article III: Legislative Department

Revision as of 14:04, August 14, 2023

Added November 6, 1956:

The Legislature may grant aid and compensation to any person who has heretofore paid a fine or served a sentence in prison, or who may hereafter pay a fine or serve a sentence in prison, under the laws of this State for an offense for which he or she is not guilty, under such regulations and limitations as the Legislature may deem expedient.

Editor Comments

In 1937, a Section 51-c (which concerned assistance to the blind) was added to Article III.

In 1945, that section was repealed and its substance transferred to Article III, Section 51-a.

Attorney Steve Smith

Recent Decisions

  • Brown v. City of Houston, 660 S.W.3d 749, 755-56 (Tex. 2023) ("Over a century after Texas authorized state penitentiaries . . . . That sovereign policy decision manifested itself in a constitutional amendment approved in November 1956, which authorizes the legislature to 'grant aid and compensation to any person' fined or imprisoned 'for an offense for which he or she is not guilty, under such regulations and limitations as the Legislature may deem expedient.' Tex. Const. art. III, § 51-c. The amendment was a cautious, aspirational step. It did not directly promise anything to anyone, for by its terms the amendment was not self-executing.")

Historic Decisions

  • State v. Clements, 319 S.W.2d 450, 452 (Tex.Civ.App.–Texarkana 1958, ref'd) ("The expressed objectives of the amendment are to: (1) Make innocent persons fined or imprisoned for violating the law of Texas a subject of aid and compensation; (2) remove, as to the class of persons named in the amendment, the prohibition of Sec. 51, Art. III against granting funds to an individual; (3) empower enactment of such regulations and limitations the Legislature decides will promote the objective of aid and compensation to the class of persons named. . . . The right to receive aid and compensation is contingent upon action by the Legislature.")

Library Resources

Online Resources