Evening star., 1949-05-29
New Building Urged
For Dangerous Cases
Al 81. EIizabeths

AT St. EIizabeths
Howard Hall, where the mos
dangerous patients and those un.
der criminal charges are con.
fined at st. Elizabeths Hospital
is inadequate and a new 400-bee
capacity building is needed, the
annual report of the Federal Sc
curity Agency revealed yester-
day.
During the past 10 or more
years." the report said. certain
crimes and misdemeanors have
come to be considered as an ex-
preston of disease requiring
treatment rather than punish
nent or isolation. The hospital
therefore is admitting more and
more acute and recoverable patti
ents, sent through various courts. .
1t pointed out that the so-called
sexual psycopath" law provides
further protection for society
against a group Of 'semi-responsi-
BILE sex offenders" and added that
the law may result in few ad-
ditional commitments of persons
found to fall within this newly
established definition"
Facilities Reported Lacking.
Howard Hall "lacks ADEQUATE
hydrotherapeutic. recreational. oc-
cupational and various other ia
cilities," the report declared.
A new building of modern de-
sign would enable the hospital
authorities to classify. treat and
care for actively psychotic patients
who can be expected to recover
but who must be cared for in a
building that provides maximum
security" the report continued.
The hospital patients. under
Red Cross guidance. have organ
lied three orchestras and the pa
tients edit a weekly newspaper as
an aid to recovery.
Price increases have resulted in
two meatless days a week at the
hospital. It's dairy herd has been
disposed of but doing away with
the pigs has been delayed, due to
the rise in meat prices. They have
been kept so the hospital can re-
duce expenditures for pork as
much as possible, the report as
serted.
Chaplains Critical.
Protestant and Catholic chap
lains stressed the present made
quate quarters for religious serv-
ices at the hospital.
Howard University, in its por-
tion of the report. declared the
staff and physical facilities have
been overtaxed. particularly by the
influx of veterans, and pointed
out that more buildings are
needed. 1t cited the lack of dormi-
' tories. general lack of sufficient
space for classrooms and labora-
tories, Offices and dining and rec
TcaLlOQal IdClliCleS.
The report said that there is
some relief In sight, however. be-
cause funds were appropriated for
constructing two additional units
to the women's dormitories, an
engineering building. dental
building and an auditorium and
fine arts building. The funds also
provided for planning a mems
dormitory, a law school building.
an administration building, biol
ogy and greenhouse building and
for alterations to Science Hall,
installations at the power plant
and for drafting a master develop
ment plan for the physical plant.
The university was able to in
crease its research work consid-
erably during the year. said the
report. A full-fledged counseling
service for students was made
effective in the College Of Liberal
Arts with a full time director and
q full time assistant.
All the university's major schools
except the School of Engineering
and Architecture are now ap-
proved by official accrediting
agencies, the report said.
Under the chapter devoted to
the Columbia Institution for the
Deaf. the report declared an ex-
pansion of the pre-school age deaf
children program in Kendall
School is planned because results
of the work have been so en-
couraging.
The reports also asserted Gal
ludet College students show a
decided interest in literature, par
ticularly poetry. and they have
exhibited an interest in dramatics,
producing and staging their own
plays in the college auditorium.