Norwich bulletin., 1916-05-03

appned 10 the class Of persons con- fined in penal institutions. Insanity has followed in the trail of inactivity in prisons and the moral effects have
 been extremely disastrous.
 Ideals of Sentence.
 The matter of sentence is german to
 discussion of prison ideals. The whole system of reformatory discipline
 may stand or fall with the determf- nation of this question. Under a de-
 mite sentence the courts endeavor to make the punishment fit the crime. This idea is perhaps survival of the early attempts of a similar nature. Definite and short term sentences are futile. If men are really and per- manentIy helped by institution meth ods something other than the calen- ! dar must determine the duration of ! their stay. As
 If the prison is really to function | in reformative sense, it must keep
 some men much longer than they are ] now kept, and it may release some men much sooner than they are now
 released under the determinate sen 1 tence.
 The discussion was opened by Rev. ] Dr. Rockwell H. Potter of Hartford The morning session was called to
 order at l0.45 o'clock. This was the general session and Henry M. Pollock, l M. D., superintendent of the Norwich
 State Hospital for the Insane and l CQdlfndn or the cOm1nlTCGS on mental
 defectives, presided.
 Address by Dr.. Charles T. Lamoure. The chairman introduced as the first l speaker Dr. Charles T.. Lamoure, su- pefintendent of the Connecticut School for Imbeciles, LakeviIle. pr. Lamoure
 spoke on the Care of the Feeble minded. The care of the feeble minded Is subject that has been before the pub lie during the past few years, said Dr. Tsar., 71 fAz- .I- publicity is because we have learned
 that feeble -mindedness is incurable and that the children of feeble-rnind- ed men and women are always feeble minded, and it has also been proven that feeble mindedneSs is an important factor as cause of juvenile vice and delinquency, adult-crime and spread Of venereal disease, prostitution, illi- gitimacy, Vagrancy, pauperism and
 other forms of social evil and social disease.
 Here in Connecticut at the present
 time we are providing for one feeble
 minded child to every 3715 of the population, or about one-f1fth of the estimated number of feeble minded in the state, estimating at the rate of one feeble minded person to every 500 of the population. At that rate there are some 2300 feeble minded in the state With additional buildings being erect ed at Mansfield we will be able to pro- V1QG TOT aDOuL N0U more cases, 1T the present institution at Lakeville is con- tinued. As at the present time we have some 200 applications on file 1t would seem advisable to continue the | use of our buildings at Lakeville, until such time as sufficient buildings are
 erected at the new site. To accom- nodate all the cases needing imme- diate care as well as the 300 at Lake vile. Our quarters at LakevilIe would
 provide accommodations for 300 girls. Mentally Defective Epilepties. 1 The care of the mentally defective
 epilept1cs was the topic upon which Dr. Donald l.. Ross spoke. Dr. Ross is superintendent of the Connecticut Col l ony for Epileptics.
 l Dr. Ross said that mental deficiency l in eptleptfcs may be divided into two l great classes: One class comprising
 ment was arrested at an early age, the l individual never showing, or only for
 a short period, normal mental de- velopment. The second class compris-
 ing those in whom tht mental de- l velopment has progressed normally or
 almost normally for several years, but | this has been followed by lessening | of mental vigor, to which condition the term mental deterioration may be applied. All condition the term mem l tai deterioration may be applied All being classed as mentally defective or
 probably more frequently feeble ! minded
 The tendency in almost all cases of
 continued epilepsy is for mental de- l terioration or mental loss to take
 place. Sane epilepsy is the excep-
 ton. Very few epileptics escaps quite free from acertain amount of dullness. They have gradations from ! the simplest down to the seyerest forms of mental defect.
 For several years there has been a strong movement in this country for the care of the epileptic in special fn- 1 ktitutions The state of Ohio was the first to establish institutions for the care of epileptics. This institution was opened for the admission of pa- tiSnts in 1S9E.
 l Tn the United States IS states have l institutions specially for the combin-