Chambers v. State

Decision Date09 October 1985
Docket NumberNo. 68098,68098
Citation700 S.W.2d 597
PartiesByron Keith CHAMBERS, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee.
CourtTexas Court of Criminal Appeals
OPINION

W.C. DAVIS, Judge.

Appellant contends that his conviction for aggravated robbery violates the double jeopardy provisions of the United States Constitution, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. He argues that the trial court erred in overruling his motion to dismiss based upon a plea of double jeopardy.

In September, 1979, appellant pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The court deferred further proceedings without an adjudication of guilt and placed him on probation for three years. See Art. 42.12, Sec. 3d, V.A.C.C.P. In June, 1980, the court adjudicated guilt pursuant to the State's "Motion to Impose Guilt ...." The evidence introduced at the hearing to adjudicate guilt showed that appellant violated the conditions of his probation by committing an aggravated robbery while on probation under art. 42.12, Sec. 3d. The court assessed punishment at ten years' confinement. Appellant was subsequently tried and convicted by a jury for the aggravated robbery which was the basis for the revocation of probation and is the subject of the instant appeal.

Appellant contends that the subsequent trial and conviction for aggravated robbery violates double jeopardy provisions because the trial court had already considered the aggravated robbery when revoking his probation and adjudicating his guilt for the offense of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and also considered it when assessing the maximum punishment for the ajudicated offense.

The double jeopardy provisions in both the Texas and United States Constitutions provide that no person shall be twice put in jeopardy of life or liberty. Tex. Const. art. 1. Sec. 14; U.S. Const. amend. 5 & 14. This prohibits a second punishment for the same offense or a second trial for the same offense. This guarantee against multiple punishment or prosecution is not involved in a revocation of probation where the violation is considered in revoking probation, but where the punishment is assessed for the offense for which an accused was originally given probation. This same issue had been considered and rejected where revocation of "regular" probation was involved. Russell v. State, 551 S.W.2d 710 (Tex.Cr.App.1977); Banks v. State, 503 S.W.2d 582 (Tex.Cr.App.1974). Although probation under art. 42.12, Sec. 3d is a different kind of probation, the same rationale applies. Revocation proceedings for deferred adjudication probation and "regular" probation are essentially administrative proceedings and do not involve the same panoply of rights and considerations applicable to a formal criminal trial. See Baehr v. State, 615 S.W.2d 713, 716 (Tex.Cr.App.1981); Davenport v. State, 574 S.W.2d 73 (Tex.Cr.App.1978); Russell, supra. Because of the nature of these proceedings the double jeopardy protections of both the Texas and United States Constitutions do not apply. Davenport, supra; Russell, supra.

The procedures and protections of a formal criminal trial, such as the rules of evidence and the right to a jury trial, belong to the People as well as to the defendant. These rights are simply not available in a probation revocation hearing. Further, the factors which a prosecutor must consider in determining whether and how to proceed in a probation revocation hearing are entirely different than the factors which must be considered in determining whether to prosecute criminal charges.

3 W. LaFave & J. Israel, Criminal Procedure 169-170 (1984) quoting Chamblin v. Municipal Court, 130 Cal.App.3d 115, 181 Cal.Rptr. 636 (1982).

Accordingly, we hold that the double jeopardy provisions of the Texas and the United States constitutions are not offended when evidence used in a successful or unsuccessful attempt to revoke "regular" probation or deferred ajudication probation is later used to prosecute the defendant in a different case.

Similarly, we hold that assessment of ten years' confinement after ajudication...

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23 cases
  • Reynolds v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • 15 Septiembre 1999
    ...because it is "administrative in nature." Davenport v. State, 574 S.W.2d 73, 75 (Tex.Cr.App. 1978); see also Chambers v. State, 700 S.W.2d 597, 598-99 (Tex.Cr.App. 1985). Chambers and Davenport apparently were overruled sub silentio in Tarver. See Tarver, 725 S.W.2d at 197 fn 1; Ex parte By......
  • Brown v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • 16 Marzo 2022
    ...administrative and do not involve the same panoply of rights and considerations applicable to a formal criminal trial. Chambers v. State, 700 S.W.2d 597, 598-99 (Tex. Crim. App. 1985), overruled on other grounds by Reynolds v. State, 4 S.W.3d 13 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999). Further, the agreemen......
  • Caldwell v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • 16 Octubre 1991
    ...was mistakenly identified, as such instruction would have singled-out a specific part of testimony. Similarly, in Chambers v. State, 700 S.W.2d 597, 599 (Tex.Cr.App.1985), we held that the trial judge properly refused to instruct the jury on the weight to give deposition testimony, because ......
  • Casey v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • 28 Febrero 2007
    ...the case by tracking the language of the statute. See Watts v. State, 99 S.W.3d 604, 607, 612 (Tex.Crim.App. 2003); Chambers v. State, 700 S.W.2d 597, 599 (Tex.Crim.App.1985). Moreover, we are not persuaded that the charge as written "assume[d] the truth of a controverted issue," see Whaley......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
20 books & journal articles
  • Double jeopardy
    • United States
    • James Publishing Practical Law Books Texas Criminal Lawyer's Handbook. Volume 1-2 Volume 1
    • 5 Mayo 2022
    ...in a subsequent trial of a new offense allegation that was used successfully or unsuccessfully to revoke a probation. Chambers v. State, 700 S.W.2d 597 (Tex. Crim. App. 1985). Even though no amendment is allowed once evidence has been taken in a revocation hearing, the state is not prevente......
  • Punishment Phase
    • United States
    • James Publishing Practical Law Books Archive Texas Criminal Lawyer's Handbook. Volume 2 - 2020 Contents
    • 16 Agosto 2020
    ...in a subsequent trial of a new offense allegation that was used successfully or unsuccessfully to revoke a probation. Chambers v. State, 700 S.W.2d 597 (Tex. Crim. App. 1985). Even though no amendment is allowed once evidence has been taken in a revocation hearing, the state is not prevente......
  • Double Jeopardy
    • United States
    • James Publishing Practical Law Books Archive Texas Criminal Lawyer's Handbook. Volume 1 - 2018 Contents
    • 17 Agosto 2018
    ...in a subsequent trial of a new offense allegation that was used successfully or unsuccessfully to revoke a probation. Chambers v. State, 700 S.W.2d 597 (Tex. Crim. App. 1985). Even though no amendment is allowed once evidence has been taken in a revocation hearing, the state is not prevente......
  • Punishment Phase
    • United States
    • James Publishing Practical Law Books Archive Texas Criminal Lawyer's Handbook. Volume 2 - 2015 Contents
    • 17 Agosto 2015
    ...in a subsequent trial of a new offense allegation that was used successfully or unsuccessfully to revoke a probation. Chambers v. State, 700 S.W.2d 597 (Tex. Crim. App. 1985). Even though no amendment is allowed once evidence has been taken in a revocation hearing, the state is not prevente......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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