The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-31
LAW MUST CHANGE METHOD IN DEALING WITH
CRIMINALS, MENTAL DETECTIVES, SAYS OLSON

The mental makeup of the case con.
WINGED US that he would not be capable
OF committing the crime, and new
line of investigation was followed, and
the case found innocent. A court
laboratory should never be used as a
police aid for the detection Of GRIMM
ais. A separate psychological labora-
tory should be provided for this"
In referring to expert testimony in
court the report says:
I'VE see some professional expert
witnesses who, in testifying for the
State regularly, almost invariably find
praecoxes and even low-grade feeble
minded cases normal, because they
remember all the details of tn crime.
The most dangerous of all praecoxes
is the paranoic cases Of the highest
intelligence. They are the hardest to
get by jury, just because of their
high intelligence. and the easiest to
get out of an asylum by habeas corpus
for the same reason.
Many Change Facts.
We find many of those holding Of
fetal positions feel that because they
are on the official payroll they must
twist, turn or omit facts, and always
exert themselves to make out a case
LII lLCll SioC IASICoo VI oAo ca 'AhSAy
6dhering to the facts, the truth.
1T is so much easier for the subsi-
died alienist to claim all the cases for
the State are sane and responsible.
He has nothing to prove, the law pre-
sumes the defendant sane and respon-
sible unless proved otherwise. BY the
clinical or negative method, which is
the general method now in vogue, but
fast disappearing in favor of the ad-
vancing positive psychological method,
the large bulk OF the irresponsible
insane are overlooked.
THE outspoken insane cases, the
clinical types, make up but a small
/ proportion of the insane. 1t is the So
! called latent cases of insanity that
make up the bulk Of the insane. The
outspoken cases are so mentally dis
/ turbed that they cannot perpetrate any
but the crassest assaults and are
promptly isolated. Many of the latent
cases develop from time to time out
spoken or disturbed periods.
| I'm order for some individuals, how
, ever, to recognize mental defect it is
necessary to place a low grade idiot
beside a genius, or wild, raving
maniac beside quiet, self-contained
normal before they can appreciate the
difference.
Anticipate Grimes.
! For some time we have been COM
hitting the insane or feeble-minded at
the rate of about a thousand a year.
In this way We are anticipating much
| homicide, suicide, sex deficits, hold,
ups, burglaries, and so forth. The
Municipal Court is thus removing
many more dangerous individuals an.
nually than the other courts of the
community, and in more clean, posi-
tive, scientific and humane manner
and on better conditions Not only
are they sent to appropriate institu
lions, but they remain there for much
longer periods and theoretically al
least should be retained until fit to
be at large, whereas by the old method
they are turned loose whether men
tally fitted to be at large or not.
The f1aring up of committees and
the like from time to time in response
TO demand of public sentiments fol
relief from crime, is procedure now
hoary with age: These methods oil
trying to brighten crime away by har
assing police and other officials is not
much better than any other form oil
exorcism. Such method have amply
demonstrated their futility.
Even if We should succeed by these
hysterical methods we would only ge,
rid of the present crop of criminals
for we must always remember thai
there is a new crop 7 Urn every year
that the number of criminals anC
crimes can be closely Appropriated
years in advance, based on birth rate
and in addition to that, the prisons
and reformitories turn out about al
many criminals each year as are sen
there. With this unfailing stream O
detectives being born each year anc
beginning to get in the hands of the
law as early as seven and eight years
we see that the only logical and eff
cient method is to attack a continuou:
stream like this at its source. We have
to head it off at its source and keep i
headed off.
Crime is but a symptom. Unles:
we treat causes, the symptoms will
always be there and we will have
never ending task
The report was Transcribed from tn,
records of the Psycopathic Laborator,
of the Municipal Court by Dr. William
J. Hickson, Director. The Laborator,
costs the city of Chicago $4,000
year DR.. Hickson took up the ad
ministration of the laboratory in May
1914, adopting methods of operation
with which he had become familiar il
continental clinics
. REAL ESTATE FOR SALE a.