Evening star., 1947-03-04

Official Halls
Crime Screen
For Veterans
District Court Plan
To Get Psychiotric
Advice Praised.

The interest Of Chief Justics
Bolitha j. Laws of District Court in
obtaining service records and psy.
chiatric advice about veterans ac.
cused Of crimes was hailed as q
good sign" today by the top psy-
chiatrist in the Veterans Admins
tration.
DR.. Daniel Blain, chief Of the, VA
Neuropsychiatry Division, also told
a psychiatric clinic sponsored by the
George Washington University Med
tcal School at st. Elizabeth's Hos.
pital:
Its a perfect shame that the
courts have not utilized these psy-
chlatrlc records more in the past.
The courts know that they should
have advice in these matters"
Screening Plan Sought.
Mr.. Blain said one Of the chief
problems involved in the increased
use OF pSychiatric records of veterans
IN court cases is the fact that VA
physicians haven't the time to hang
around Police Court" He added
that 1t was much better when We
can encourage them to come to us
Tor advice"
The problem Of screening accused
veteran1 to determine which ones
are victims of the war. and should
pc examined by phychiatrists is now
being worked on by. legal chiefs Of
the Army, Navy and Veterans Ad-
ministration.
AS soon as the system can be
worked out. jt will be tried ex-
perimentally in District Court here.
This was announced yesterday by
Justice Laws following the second
session on the twin questions of
tracing the relationship between
crimes and war experiences and
finding suitable places where
victims of the war" can be rehabil-
itated.
To Develop Questionnaire.
Justice Laws said the Judge Advo-
Gates General Of the Army and Navy.
both of whom attended the session,
and the Veterans Administration
solicitor had agreed to develop q
QUESTIONABLE which could be an
swered with the personnel and facil-
tiles now available to the Army,
Navy and Veterans Administration.
Justice Laws gave this picture Of
how the system would work.
The Police Department is now
notifying the United States Attorney
here whenever an accused man or
woman Is a veteran. Police are also
getting armed forces serial numbers.
As soon as questionnaire can be
worked out, the United States At
torney will send the QUESTIONABLE
first to the Veterans Administration
and, il that agency does not have
the veterans record, the question:
naire will go on to the Army or Navy.
| Answers From Record.
The QUESTIONABLE will be answered
from the veterans record and will
be sent to District Court Judge.
Justice Laws said he believed the
Judge should examine the question:
naire to determine II there is any
indication in the answers that q
mans crime had a relationship to
his war experiences.
II the judge found any such in
dication, Justice Laws went on, he
might summon prosecution and de-
fense lawyers to his chambers to
determine whether both lawyers
wanted to proceed further, when full
records should be sought and by
what means. At this point Veterans
Administration psychiatrists might
be asked to examine the man.
Thereafter, the main problem
would be sending the veteran to the
proper place for rehabilitation.
To determine what institutions are
available, when the Veterans Ad-
ministration can take accused vet
Grams and what additional facilities
are needed, another committee was
set up at the session yesterday,
Justice Laws said.
On the committee are James v.
Bennett, director of the Federal
Bureau of Prisons; DR.. Winfred
Overholser, superintendent Of st.
Elizabeth's Hospital; E. E. Odom.
Veterans Administration, and r.
Lamar Caudle, assistant attorney
general in charge of the criminal
division.