Evening star., 1921-05-01
URGES SAFEGUARDS
.FORFEEBLE-M|NDED
Baltimore Physician Advo-
Gates Medical Examinations
Prior to Criminal Trials.

Special Dispatch 10 The Star.
! BALTIMORE, April 30-Although
the supreme bench of Baltimore city.
! through the agency of DR. John l..
Oliver. its medical officer. has devised
and is putting into operation what is
| probably the only complete system in
this country of medical and mental
supervision OF persons accused of
! crime or misd"mcanors. the establish
mcnt of an institution for the feeble
| minded and detcntion house to
| make preliminary examinations more
; feasible. are now being advocated
I The urgency of Legislation 10 this
! effect was given point. Dr.. Oliver
| said. by the fact that Dean kirchwey
! of Columbia University Law School,
! who is said to be the most noted
! Grim nologiSt in the country. is now
| in Baltimore making study of the
! handling of criminals. and also by
! tn" fact that the New York Probation
| and PROTECTIVE" Association has gone
ON record in favor of mental cXari-
nations of defendants before crimi
nal trials. on the ground that a large
! percentage Of them are mentally de
i fcctiVc.
What Baltimore Is Doing.
Baltimore. says DR. Oliver. is really
! ahead of most other places. because
! - 't''S S''t ~ ''UIl'l LIf' t~i'dt ~ uIi
| bling block that YOU cannot override
fundamental personal liberty by in
! SiSting upon examination of the ac
| cused And Baltimore gets around
! it fairly well. he shows. not by over
! riding the law but by use of pa
! ticnCc. diplomacy and tact.
With the Co-op"ration of the jail
officials and tn" Prisoners Aid Asso-
citation. DIR. Oliver has worked out a
plan that Dean kirchWcy says is
ahead of anything done in New York.
This plan is for the Prisoners Aid
Association officials to talk to every
, person in tn" city jail awaiting trial
aud to make a list of those who seem
weak minded in any degree. This
list is then turned over to Dr. Oliver,
who personally visits each person
and studies each case. All the eX-
aminations and Interviews are made
with regard to the legal rights of the
prisoners and their submission to
interviews or examination is entirely
voluntary on their part.
DIR. Oliver then makes a report on
each case. and these reports go to the
Judges of the criminal courts. The
judges are then prepared to dispose
of tn" prisoners intelligontly. with
regard to the mental powers of the
latter.
Need of Institution shown.
II is the disposition of the cases.
however. which suggests the need for
an institution for feeble minded
adults. The only thing the judge can
do now is either send the feeble
minded convict to the penitentiary
or Jail or to parole him in care of
the Prisoners Aid Association. Ncith-
er of these may be the best possible
disposition of the case. and an insti-
tuition specially equipped to handle
detectives would be a welcome soiu-
tion to the present perpleXing situa-
tinn and W0llG he StnD which,.
the opinion of many authorities.
would go a long way toward decreas-
ing crime in general.
Sending such cases to the pcniten-
tiary. says DIR. Oliver. is bad for both
the institution. which they help to
diSorga niZe. and for the individual.
as he does not get the special treat
ment and training he should receive.