Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 11.38 · Chapter 11. HABEAS CORPUS
WHEN A PRISONER DIES.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
When a prisoner confined in jail, or who is in legal custody, shall die, the officer having charge of the prisoner shall forthwith report the same to a justice of the peace of the county, who shall hold an inquest to ascertain the cause of the prisoner's death. All the proceedings had in such cases shall be reduced to writing, certified and returned as in other cases of inquest; a certified copy of which shall be sufficient proof of the death of the prisoner at the hearing of an application for a writ of habeas corpus.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1965, 59th Leg., vol. 2, p. 317, ch. 722.
Amended by:
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 933 (S.B. 1516), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2023.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.11.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 584f6b4784bdce3680bf19a719ebe9487d6762edcdef07b6ee097230c3ebd72a
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.