Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-15
HE INSANE IN JAlls.
Some Important Statistics ON This Sub
iect

ject.
OFFICE Surf. WESTERN LUTATIc AsYLUM.l
SrAUNToN, Va. March 8, 1891.
To he Editor Of the D1sDaica:
In an editorial on The Insane" in Sun
days issue Of the DISPATCH you say: ut
may be that there are not so many insane
confined in jails now as formerly, but the
number Is considerable STILL and the Lee
gislature at its next session will no doubt
be forced to make appropriations for the
enlargement OF one or more of the asy-
lums,"
the latter Of these statements is fully
confirmed by evidence which comes to me
IN my official capacity. The number of
applicants for admission who are rejected
Tor want OF room both here and at the
other asyluIns is largely III excess of the
number admitted. which shows. of course,
the insuffciency of the asylum accommo-
dations in the State.
But the same evidence shows that the
number of the insane confined in jails is
much exaggerated. There is on file in my
office correspondence on this subject
with all the sherltfs OF the Commonwealth,
dated IN the summer of 1885, which shows
that at that time the total number of in
sane IN the iails was only twelve-eight
white and four colored. And l have my
self recently addressed letters of inquiry
TO the sherltfs and jaiers Of the various
counties and cities, and have received re-
Plies from seventy-slX of them. Accord
ing TO their official reports the total num-
Der now confined in fails is twenty-three-
ten white males and six white females, and
four colored males and three colored fe-
males. My repeated inquiries received no
reply from the following counties: Acco-
mac, buchanan. Craig. Dickerson, Eliza
beth City, Essex, Floyd, Fluvanna, Frank
lin, Goochland, Grayson, Brownsville, Hal
flax, Henry, Isle of Wight, James City,
burg, Mathews, Mecklenburg, Northum-
berland. Northampton, Patrick, Prince
George, Prince Edward, RappahannCck,
Shenandoah. Tazewell, and Warwick.
The comparative smallness OF the num-
Der of the insane in the jalls is due to the
fact that the superintendent have been
anxious and dlilgent III their efforts to
keep them as empty as possible, and have
therefore invariably gwen the preference
TO applications coming from persons con-
fined in them. They have done so for two
reasons. The first is that many of the
tails of the State are q disgrace TO modern
civilization, and you rightly say that II Is
great pity that any lunatic, especially
woman, should ever have to he committed
to one of them. For the condition of the
untoktunate insane confined in them Is not
only NdeplOraDle, out Illuminating. NOne
are so helpless, none for the most part so
friendless as they. For they are often
abandoned by their relatives who, what
ever their inclination, have not the means
of giving them the care they need.
The second reason for giving preference
to applications coming from the jails IS
that the cases confined IN them are gen.
orally those of epileptic insanity. They
are the most dangerous of all the insane,
and when admitted to an asyluD they re-
ouire single rooms and special classical
tlonc and these requirements, over and
above what is needed for the ordinary case
of insanity, make it all the moro deplora-
bic that they should be confined IL
county jail =,
but unfortunately the efforts Of the su-
perintendents TO prevent their being sent
to iail have been hampered by the accumula-
ton OF old and incurabie patients III the
asylums. On this account 1.-THE vacancies
are by no means as numerous az the appll-
cants." and / see no way of remedying the
difficulty except the one you suggest, when
is by providing additional rooms IN theex-
istlng asylums. BENJAMIN BLACKBOARD,
superintendent Western Lunatic Asylum.