Evening star., 1948-10-19
Board Proposes
Psychiatrist for
Corrections Unit
Release of Prisoners
With Mental Ills
Seen Threat to Public

Gay Ildu pcIOlc tllCll4 d WdIAlAl6
from the Board of Parole that un-
less a psychiatrist is appointed to
examine prisoners, many of them
suffering from mental disorders
may be released, endangering the
public.
A full-tine psychiatrist should be
added to the staff of the Depart
ment of Corrections, Campbell c.
johnson, chairman of the board,
told the Commissioners in the
boards annual report.
Under the present system" the
board said, ut is quite possible for
a person suffering from a mental
disorder to slip through and be re-
leased without adequate knowledge
of his true condition. We do not
feel that this system provides the
protection to which the public is
entitled.
I'VE feel" the board stressed,
shat the establishment Of routine
psychiatric examinations in at least
all felony cases, plus those mis-
demeanants who are eligible to
make application for parole, should
be added as a regular function of
the Department of Corrections.
Delay in Examination Cited.
Results of the psychiatric exam
nations of all prisoners eligible for
parole should be made available to
the Board of Parole at the time
OF the parole hearing, the report
states.
Under present conditions" ex-
planned the report, "if the staff of
the Department of Corrections, or
any member Of the Board of Parole
or its staff are able to detect evi-
dence of mental disorder in the
case of any prisoner, it is possible
to request that the prisoner be
transferred to the District Jail and
be given a psychiatric examination
by doctors on the staff of the
psychiatric department at Gallinger
Hospital. But this procedure is not
very satisfactory"
The board said neither its own
members nor the staff of the Cor
rections Department were capable"
of detecting evidence of mental dis
order in every case.
Furthermore, it was pointed out
that the psychiatric department at
Galllnger was so heavily over
worked and understaffed at the
present time that sometimes several
months elapsed before an exam
ination can be made and a report
submitted to the board This delay
seriously interferes with the prompt
disposition of many cases.
The board urged continued sup
port OF the departments efforts to
establish a program of vocation
training for prisoners in penal in
stltutions.
Such program in our opinion"
said Mr.. johnson, lis an essential
part Of the overall correctional
process in the attempt to rehabili-
tate these offenders"
Work OF the board was substan-
TALLY increased by the new law of
July, 1947, the report said.
One provision made all prisoners
receiving sentences in excess of 1870
days in misdemeanant cases elig-
ible to apply for parole as compared
to the former legal requirement
that only those requiring misde-
meanant sentences which aggregated
in excess of one year were eligible
to make such application. The
number of such cases eligible for
parole consideration jumped from
only two in the fiscal year ending
in June 1947, to 179 in the fiscal
year ending last June
ass Parolees Supervised.
The board said it expects a big
increase in this work during this
year and in the future.
Work of the board also was in
creased during the last fiscal year
the report said, by a new provi-
sion which gave the board jurisdic-
tion to make application to the
court for reduction in the minimum
sentence imposed in any case.
Twenty-Five cases were considered,
but none received favorable action,
the report said.
During the year, the board had
under supervision ass PAROLES, 146
having been released during the
year. Out of the ass, the board
issued 81 warrants for violations.
Only II of these warrants were
issued for commission of new GRIM
inal offenses, 8 for felonies and 81
for misdemeanors. The violation
rate of II per cent is an increase