| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
| |
|
|
relating to posttrial psychological counseling for jurors in a |
|
|
criminal trial or juvenile adjudication hearing involving graphic |
|
|
evidence or testimony. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subsection (f), Article 56.04, Code of Criminal |
|
|
Procedure, is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(f) The commissioners court may approve a program in which |
|
|
the crime victim liaison or victim assistance coordinator may offer |
|
|
not more than 10 hours of posttrial psychological counseling for a |
|
|
person who serves as a juror or an alternate juror in a criminal |
|
|
[the] trial [of an offense under Section 19.02, 19.03, 21.11,
|
|
|
22.011, 22.021, 43.05, 43.25, or 43.251, Penal Code,] involving |
|
|
graphic evidence or testimony and who requests the posttrial |
|
|
psychological counseling not later than the 180th day after the |
|
|
date on which the jury in the trial is dismissed. The crime victim |
|
|
liaison or victim assistance coordinator may provide the counseling |
|
|
using a provider that assists local criminal justice agencies in |
|
|
providing similar services to victims. |
|
|
SECTION 2. The heading to Section 57.003, Family Code, is |
|
|
amended to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 57.003. DUTIES [DUTY] OF JUVENILE BOARD AND VICTIM |
|
|
ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 57.003, Family Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (g) to read as follows: |
|
|
(g) The juvenile board may approve a program in which the |
|
|
victim assistance coordinator may offer not more than 10 hours of |
|
|
posttrial psychological counseling for a person who serves as a |
|
|
juror or an alternate juror in an adjudication hearing involving |
|
|
graphic evidence or testimony and who requests the posttrial |
|
|
psychological counseling not later than the 180th day after the |
|
|
date on which the jury in the adjudication hearing is dismissed. |
|
|
The victim assistance coordinator may provide the counseling using |
|
|
a provider that assists local juvenile justice agencies in |
|
|
providing similar services to victims. |
|
|
SECTION 4. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
|
|
to a criminal trial or juvenile adjudication hearing for which a |
|
|
jury is selected on or after the effective date of this Act. A |
|
|
criminal trial or juvenile adjudication hearing for which a jury is |
|
|
selected before the effective date of this Act is governed by the |
|
|
law as it existed immediately before that date, and that law is |
|
|
continued in effect for that purpose. |
|
|
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
|
|
|
|
|
* * * * * |