Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-01-09
Urged
To Convicts
Mental Tests
Pre-JoiI Screening
Of All Criminals
Proposed in Report
-
BY ths Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Jan. ga State
commission on crime psychiatry
urged today that all convicts be
screened for mental ills before be-
ing sent to Jail.
In report to Gov. Lane, the
group called for sweeping changes
in the Maryland penal law to give
"a flexible approach" to the prob
lem of crime and punishment.
All prisoners should be "proc-
essed' at pre-jail mental labora-
tories and given 'psychiatric app
praisal and sociological investiga.
tion," it said.
Under this plan, Maryland judges
would sentence criminals merely to
the State Department of Correction,
rather than to specific prisons. After
screening, the department then
would assign the offender to an
appropriate Jail.
Is On Commission.
The commission to study medico-
legal psychiatry-a group of IS doc
tors. judges and legislators headed
by John H. Skeen, jr-Was author
lied by the 1947 General Assembly
to draw up a program for the 194s
legislature.
1t urged that a State medical
court service run by psychiatrists
be established to advise judges and
trial magistrates on the sentencing
Of prisoners.
This would "be of inestimabls
value" in wedding out sex offenders
and others potentially dangerous"
who are picked up for minor vio-
lations, the commission said.
Intelligent men as we'll as less
intelligent ones can be defective
delinquents.' the commission said
after a two-year study, adding that
an intelligent man with an "emo-
tlonal disorder" needs treatment
just as much as a criminal with a
subnormal 10
New Institution Urged.
1t recommended that a new lin
stitution for defective delinquent"
be built. The group estimated that
more than 10 per cent of all those
individuals requiring detention are
defective delinquents who can only
be handled properly in a special
institution"
The commission said it found "a
deplorable lack of facilities for
pSycl1iatric care and "a very in
adequate organization to cope with
the important responsibility Of
psychological testing and classifica-
ton" in Maryland prisons.
"Unfortunates who through no
fault of their own are beset by
mental illness, who are, in fact, sick
persons" the, report said. should
be dealt with accordingly, rather
than as criminals"
! Mandatory Tests Urged.
Mental examine tons should be
ordered for all sex offenders and
those who show persistent ag-
gravated anti-social or criminal be-
havior," it added. Mandatory pre-
trial examinations to determine
whether prisoner is insane would
. w lbCICd AL SdpAtdA O11ClloCS.
! The commission called for fur
ther study" of what to do with per-
sons acquitted by reason of tempo
rary insanity at the time of crime
but found to be sane at the trial.
Such a man now may leave the
court a free man" even though he
may be subject to recurrent in
sanity which would render him UNI
safe,' according to the report.
A new institutional board Of re-
view would have power to parole
prisoners at the defective delinquent
Jail or release a fully recovered
prisoner without parole"
Bills incorporating the commits
sion's reforms are being prepared
by the attorney general.