Evening star., 1947-08-27
Experts Agree:
On Outline for
NewSexlaw
Child Protection
And Mental Core
For Offenders Stressed

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|offenders will be sought fol
Washington, it was decided yes.
terday.
Agreement on what the law shoulf
contain to assure maximum protec.
ton for Washington children and tx
curb sex crimes here was reached
late at conference of police, medi.
cal and prison authorities with
United States Attorney George Nor.
ris Fay.
II approved by Congress, the pro.
posed statute would place the Dis.
trict among the most progressive
jurisdictions in dealing with sex of.
tenders, Mr.. Fay said. At. present
At States provide better legal pro
lection against perverts than the
District.
Mr.. Fay said the next move ir
drafting the proposed statute will
be to request legal officers in the
most progressive States to describe
what they have achieved and what
obstacles they have encountered
with their statutes.
/. May Be Ready November 1.
The prosecutor hopes to have the
draft Of the statute completed by
November 1. Before it reaches fina.
form, he said, the proposed statute
will be submitted to the experts who
agreed yesterday on general pro-
visions.
AS approved in principle at the
conference, the proposed statute
would:
1. Provide the District with basic
perversion statute covering a wide
range of offenses, including exhi-
bitionism, sodomy and other inde-
cent acts.
2. Include a section specifically
aimed at melting out severe penalties
to persons molesting children.
8. Establish legal procedure to
commit sex psychopaths to st. Eliza
beths Hospital for mental treatment
and confinement until they are con-
sidered safe to return to society.
Mr.. Fay pointed out that commit
ment of sex psychopaths already is
included in the laws of California,
Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois.
These laws will be studied, he said,
in writing the proposed statute.
Passage of the Alcoholic Clinics
Act at the last session of Congress
he added, indicates the legislators
have recognized the value of PSYCHE
atric treatment in treating persons
frequently in and out of jail.
Laws providing for the commit
ment of sex offenders usually include
psychiatric examination, a jury
hearing, an indefinite commitment
and provision that, when the offen-
der is released from the mental hos
pital, he still Is subject to trial
on the original ofense. :.
Mr.. Fay pointed out that these
laws protect an offenders civil rights
by providing for jury hearing. He
said they also permit prosecutors to
bring in the past record of the
offender, which would assure special
attention to chronic offenders.
To Stress Child Protection.
Major emphasis in the proposed
statute, he said, however, will be
placed on full prosecution of Of
tenders against children. Penalties
against those who molest children
might range up to 20 years i'm
prisonment, he said.
Cases involving adults, he said
will be covered in the general statute
and penalties might range up to five
years imprisonment. Among the
offenses defined in this statute, he
added, will be some for which the
only penalties now are light fines
and short sentences.
Mr.. Fay reported general agree
ment on the proposal to include in
decent exposure as one of the Of
fenses. This offense, however
might be considered a misdemeanoI
punishable by $500 fine or a year
in Jail. At present, this offense is
a District regulation punishable by
a maximum penalty of a $3.50 fine
or 80 days in jail.
In writing the proposed statute
Mr.. Fay said he wants to be sure it is
comprehensive and constitutional;
that it provides for a rising scale of
penalties to assure maximum pro-
lection for children and that it pro-
vides for commitment of the mental
ly i'll as well as conviction for other
offenders.
Experts Prove Helpful.
Mr.. Fay said he had found the
conference of experts most helpful
and that they had provided him with
a number of additional points to
consider in drafting the statute. He
said he will continue to consult
them as the work develops.
Attending the conference were
Capt. Rhoda Milliken of the Wom-
ems Bureau, 1t. William T. Murphy
of the Juvenile Bureau, Sergt. Rich
ard McCarty of the sex squad,
James v. Bennett, Federal director
of prisons; DR.. Winfred Overholser,
superintendent of st. Elizabeths
Hospital; DR.. Justin Fuller, chief
medical officer of the Federal Bureau
of Prisons, and Assistant United
States Attorney Sidney Sachs.
DR.. Overholser commented after
the conference that it was very en-
couraging" to find police, prosecut-
ors, prison authorities and psychi-
artists in general agreement on the
best methods of dealing with sex Of
tenders.
Mr.. Fay's proposal was Endorsed
by the American Business Associa-
ton at a meeting last night in the
Hotel 2400. The resolution COM
mended Mr. Fay for his efforts and
offered cooperation of the group.
Copies were directed to him and to
the Federation of Businessmen As
sociations.
Social Security Office
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