The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-27
Violent May Be Sent to Lansing
From State Hospitals.
Warden Codding Says He Has
Facilities to Care for Them.
TRADEFOR MILDCASES
Would Be Done Pending Conn
pletion of New Hospital.
Board of Control Now Consider.
ing the Question.

The state board of control and the
warden OF the state penitentiary are
working on plans to exchange some
insane prisoners for some violently in
sane patients, pending the completion
of the criminal insane hospital on the
penitentiary grounds. Warden Cod
ding has notified the board that he has
several mildly insane convicts that he
would like to send to one of the hos
pitals, as he believes that they can be
cured or greatly improved by treat
ment, which can not be given at the
prison.
There are three violent criminal in
sane patients at the Topeka hospital
that have to be kept in chains all the
time and there are several at the Osa-
watomie hospital of the same class
that the board of control wants to
put into the criminal insane ward at
the prison whenever it is established
Warden Codding in q letter to the
board says that he has ample facilities
to care for a few of the most violent
insane at the present time and as he
is anxious to give the few insane pris-
onerS proper treatment he wants to
make the exchange as a temporary
matter until the new criminal insane
hospital is completed.
OF the fifty insane convictS at the
prison, there are about twenty who
are harmless. These men should be
considerably handled to prevent their
getting worse, according to the war
den, and, therefore, can not be driven
or worked to excess. With the violent
ones it is different, inaSmuch as they
should constantly be worked to keep
| their minds occupied. The prison Is
better adapted at present to handle
violent rather than the harmless pris-
onerS.
While the majority of the state hos
pital patients are of the harmless va
! riety, there are many there who are
! violent, and it is the violent class who
give the attendants trouble. Warden
! Codding argues that some of these
men should be sent to him for the
welfare of both institutions.
OF course, such an arrangement
would be only temporary, or until at
such time as the state has provided
an Individual asylum for the criminal
insane such as that now contemplated
at Lansing. If such an institution
were already in operation in connec-
ton with the penitentiary Warden
| Codding's request would be unneces-
sary, as then he would be amply pre-
pared to properly care 1cr all Glasses
of the insane.
"I feel that we can get better re-
suits from the violent men at the
state asylum than from the harmless
ones in our keeping" said Warden
| Coddins I'VE could work them prop
/ erIy. and there would be much bet
ter chance of their recovering their
reason than if handled like the harm
/ less criminals. We have facilities here
for properly caring for and working
the men, and L hope everything will
| be done to bring about the improve
ment.''
Negotiations still are on for the pur-
chase of the new asylum site when
the appropriation is forthcoming. 1t
is thought July is will witness the ac-
tual beginning of what is expected to
be one of the finest institutions for
| criminal insane in the country.
The law permits the board of con-
| troll to send violent criminal insane
patients to the penitentiary for safe
| keeping but in order for the warden
to send prisoners to an asylum they
must be adjudged insane in the pro-
| bate court of Leavenworth county and
ordered sent to an asylum and they
must be kept at the hospitals under
guard to prevent their escape before
| their prison sentence has expired.