The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-01-07
LAX LAWS IN REGARD TO THE
TREATMENT OF THE INSANE.

TREATMENT OF THE INSANE.
Unfortunately, the delicate and subtle
ntricAcics Of psychological elb'cs have in
trud.d into the courts and arc Disturbing
the execution Of the criminal laws. 1t
has become d common thins TO excuse
al men charged with crime who are nj.
mittedly moral pcrverts or who have
exhibited by their lives n tenden-
cy TO crime This IL going entirely
too far A tendency TO crime will be-
come universal and criminal law entirely
unnecessary II this defense is allowed.
II Is the fear Of the law and the rig
erous execution Of its penalties alone that
deters these people who have n natural
tendency TO crime from committing 1t.
Science may not be advancing too rap
idly, but the pride Of rival experts IL
awaited OF In criminal trials to such an
extent that II the evil il not corrected
the criminal laws Of the state will stand
m dead letter on the statute books.
There il II point where the tendency to
crime gets the better of n man, but when
he is no fur advanced In the development
Of that tendency as not TO fear and to-
tally disregard the penal laws, he Is n
fit subject for the lunatic asylum. 1t
is very rare and extraordinary case
for man who Is CONSIDERED sane and has
given no evidences of insanity to break
out suddenly into some unnatural crime.
When the tendency 10 crime passes the
n 4. all L.,
in small things and It's development into
a frenzy Of madness has always given
beforehand the warning Of its approach.
or course, when man passes the line
he can not be held responsible.
More stringent laws, however should
be enacted In regard 20 all persons Civ
ing any kind of evidences of insanity.
Their confinement in lunatic asylums, UNI
der the present laws, is left to the dis
crefiSr-sl, their immediate relatives and
il they have ho<{amily, it does not seem
to be the special buNness Of anyone else,
even the peace ofiiceSs, to institute pro-
ceedngs against thcm\ in order to send
them TO insane asylum for the protcc-
ton Of the communitiesN in which they
live. II IL most unwisc thing to leave
the disposition Of insane persons TO the
discretion of their relatives or dependant
upon the within or convenience of their
fellow citizens or the discretion of the
officers of the law Ii should be made
the duty of the peace officers Of every
county TO deal with insane people just
as soon as they are informed officially
OF otherwise that they are insane. The
relatives of the insane are too tender of
the feelings of members Of the family.
An asylum provided for the insane by
wise legislation is the only proper place
for them. If they are durable they VIII
receive better medical treatment and en-
10Y more comforts in every way in an
insane asylum than they would in the
most luxurious homes and il there was
no discretion under the law by any one
in the disposition of them, many lives
would be saved Laws of such stringcncy
should be adopted that the peace officers
Of the county should he compelled TO en-
ouire into the sanity of every person who
exhibits signs of mental failure and If
fosud insane these officers should be
compelled to commit them to the state
iunstic asylum for treatment
ReY,rting to the tendency to crime
6rst alluded TO in this article, we will
snty sdd that supplemental laws should
siso be adopted by which persons at
large who are charged with crime and
whose attorneys plead insanity should be
eotnpclled to produce much stronger proof
81 insanity than those who have been
,lutned or treated in asylums for the
,esse. In other words, II man is
san, enough to 80 about in the transac-
.ions of his daily business and when ar
rested for crime pleads insanity, the proof
Of that insanity should leave no doubt
whatever Of its existence; reversing the
rule &c giving the prisoner the benefit of
uahe doubt, in all cases where insanity is
be plea of defense.