Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-10-23
OUR INSANE AsYLuMs.


certain reforms in the management Of insane
asylums. We are not In possession Of
copy Of the bill, and do not know how thor
ough il is, but no one can deny that there is
need Of legislation OH this subject We
give a copy of the bill recently passed in
Massachusetts,
SECTION l. The Governor, with the adj
vice and consent of the council, shall appoint
two women TO be added to the Board of
State Charities.
SECT 9. 1t shall be the special duty of
said Board, TO secure to the patients in lu-
matte hospitals and asylums both public and
private, the protection of the laws, when
needed in defence of their reasonable rights.
The members of this Board shall visit all
the public and private hospitals and asylums
for lunatics in the commonwealth, at their
discretion, with power for any three MEM
beers to send for persons and papers, and to
examine witnesses under oath, to ascertain
whether any of the patients IRE improperly
detained in any such hospital or asylum, or
unjusty placed there, and whether the in
mates are humanely and kindly treated,
with full power To correct any abuses found
to exist; and any wanton or unnecessary ~.
jury inflicted upon tho patients shall he
treated rs crime, and be punishable in the
same manner rs 1t would be II inflicted upon
any other person. Said Board shall not in
terfcre with the legally defined duties of the
board OF trustees, superintendent, officers,
attendants or employees except in those
cases where all these established agencies
have failed to remedy existing evils. Only
in such cases shall they have power to dis
charge amy superintendent, officer, attendant
or employee, after he has been proved, be-
fore sad board, to have been guilty of mis-
demeanor. meriting such discharge; and in
| all these trials, the testimony of patients
| shall he taken. No person connected with
any such hospital or asylum, shall sit upon
any jury before which any person connected
with such hospital or asylum, is tried for
any offence. Said Board shall make an AN
nual report to the governor
| SECT. 3. The names of the said Board,
and the post office address of each. shall be
kept conspicuously posted in every ward IN
said hospitals and asyums. And every pa
tent IN these institutions shall be allowed
| to write when and whatever ho or she
pleases to said board, aud to any other per-
son he or she may choose, provided that all
! letters of such patients shall be sent to said
| Board Tor inspection, before being forwarded
| to the persons addressed, unless the writer
of any letter is specially authorized Ivy the
Board to send letters directly to the person
| addressed.
SECT. 4. All persons confined in any such
lunatic hospital or asylum, public or private,
| shall be furnished by the superintendent, ut
least once in each week, while so confined
with suitable material for writing, inclosing
sealing, stamping and mailing letters, pro-
vided they request the same, unless other
wise ordered 10y said Board, by n writing.
| which shall continue in force until counter
manded by said Board.
SECT.5. Said Board shall provide secure
~ locked letter boxes, easily accessible to
all the patients, to be placed in every lunatic
hospital or asylum, either public or private,
INTO which this weekly letter of the patient
can he dropped by the writer thereof Aud
no officer OF these institutions shall have any
means of reaching the contents of these
boxes, but the letters in them shall be coll
lected weekly, by an agent of the post office,
or of said Board for transmittal by mail.
SECT. 6. 1t Is hereby made the duty of
the superintendent, or party having charge
| of any person confined on account of insani-
~, to deliver to said person any letter or
writing To him or her directed without
opening or reading the same, provided this
letter has been forwarded by said Board,
or is directed to such persons us the Board
have authorized to send or receive letters
without the Boards inspection.
SECT. 7. Every such lunatic hospital ol
asylum, both public and private. shall b,
visited ms elten rs once in four weeks, by Il
least one member of said Board; and thi
visit shall be made mt irregular and not n
stated periods OF time. And of such visit
no previous notice, or Information. or init
mation shall be given or allowed to the su
perlntendent, or any employee or official h
any such institution; but. FAR us possible
all such visits shall be made uneXpectedl,
to every superintendent, officer or employee
And in no case shall any member of said
Board be accompanied by any superintend
; ent, officer or employee,O the institution, il
, their visits through the wards, unless ut tn,
| gppeinl a. n A. Hoard
SECT. e. The family relatives and guar
, dian of every patient in any such hospital OF
asylum, shall be allowed To visit him or her
rs often rs once month, and to have
, private interview with such patient, not eX
ceeding fifteen minutes, unless by special
permission OF the superintendent. In even
I OF the sudden death of any patient in any
such lunatic hospital or asylum. coroner
inquest shall be held, as provided for by law
, IN other eases.
SECT 0. Any superintendent or officer Of
or person employed in any such lunatic hos
/ pital or asylum, public or private, neglect
ing to comply with, or wilfully aud know
ingly violating any OF the provisions of TIM
Act, shall upon conviction thereof, be pun
ished by Imprisonment for y term not eX
ceedng three years, or by fno not eX
;. ceeding one thousand dollars, or by boil
fine and Imprisonment, ut the discretion o
the Court; and by neligibilty for his ofiic,
. the testimony of any person. whether insan
or otherwise, shall he taken.
r SECT. 10, Every member of said Boart
shall be paid five dollars per day, Tor thu
time actually consumed in visiting such hos
II pitfalls and asylums, and their actual travel
ing expenses.
q SECT. IL. Tho words climatic hospitals
l. in this Act shall include all places for tn
;, treatment or custody of insane persons, pub
lie or private.
l. All can see at once the justice Of such
D. protection against the wrongs as this bill
e. affords to inmates of insane asyums. IL
c stances frequently come to light of greu
10 wrongs perpetrated. Persons perfectly san
l. have been confined in them and subjected I
&c great cruelties, while for the want of such
ct law they were pOwerless to appeal for ali
ig In New Hampshire the state Judiciary con
y mittee to whom similar bill was referre
said, 1--WE cannot improve the bill, and Their
y fore recommend it as it is, aud the oppos
70 ton Of our superintendent furnishes ev
y dence, in our opinion, that the bill is nee
&c ed. And lawyer in Maine, after Il
e. passage Of similar act wrote to a frier
10 who was laboring for its introduction in
OF Massachusetts 81 learn that the act
gu 1874 will relieve the insane asylum of fit
TO or sixty patients ~
cd What did this mean but that fifty or 81
as ty of the free citizens of this boosted land
In liberty had been unjustly deprived Of the
'n' liberty and their rights as citizens, al
es' placed entirely beyond the reach of law al
,or ustice2 We have in mind a lady who
by to every appearance perfectly sane, but W
we on account of her religions belief was co
no signed to lunatic asylum through the