Evening star., 1951-09-07
Insane Criminals Held
In District Jail Due 70
Lack Of Hospital Room

6uSN VI IIVSpIlUI NVVIII
St. Elizabeths Hospital is sol
overcrowded that insane persons
charged or already convicted of
serious crimes remain in jail here
as long as two months before
being admitted to the hospital.
This was revealed by DR.. Win
fred Overholser, superintendent
of the hospital, after Chief Judge
Harold M. Stephens of the Court
Of Appeals, late yesterday Or
dered the United States attorneys
Office to find out why a man ad-
judged insane on July was not
admitted to the hospital until
yesterday.
The total overcrowding of the
hospital amounts to approximately
IA per cent. DR.. OverholSer re-
vealed. The immediate problem
with criminally insane, however,
concerns Howard Hall, the maxi
mum security building at the hos
pital where there is the least
chance of escape 1t is in that
building that criminals are placed. |
Capacity Under 200.
DR., OVerholSer said he will not
allow Howard Hall to be over
crowded. This means that slightly
under 200 patients are in the
building at one time. Some who
have committed less serious
crimes and are not considered
dangerous or likely to escape are
moved from Howard Hall to other
buildings to make room for those
considered dangerous, DR.. Over
holSer said.
Temporary lodging of the pa
tients at Gallinger Hospital would
be no solution, DR.. Philip A. E.
Stebbing, superintendent of the {
municipal hospital, said today. i
He pointed out that Gallinger'sI
psychiatric service is set up as a
diagnostic center only and the
patients would receive no more
psychiatric treatment there than Y
they would at the Jail.
DR.. Stebbing also pointed out
the hospital lacks the security pro-
visions necessary to keep danger
Gus patients,
Investigation Ordered. S
Judge Stephens ordered Assist s
ant United States Attorney Joseph s
M. Howard to investigate the ST
ElizabethS situation when it was 7
revealed during an argument on
an appeal motion that Dallas o.
Williams, 90, colored, under SEN
tence of from 2 to years for as
sault with a dangerous weapon.
was found insane last July and I
finally committed to the hospital
only yesterday. ii
Williams was sentenced on the I
assault charge in March, 1850. for
attacking another colored man.
He was found of unsound mind att
a District Court lunacy hearing on i
July 2. tsf A
His case came up yesterday I'M,
the Court of Appeals on a motion
through which the prosecution
seeks to hold in allegiance any
proceedings on Williams appeal |
from his criminal conviction until I
such time as he may recover his /
sanity. S
Williams attorney, Saul G. ID
Lichtenberg, in turn. opposed the Ic
motion. He wants to go ahead u
with the appeal from his clients y
District Court conviction. The
Court of Appeals took the motion t
under adviSement. Q
Williams, in turn, remained in a
Jail here from July 2, after being il
found insane, to wait until there 2
was room for him in st. Eliza t
beth'S Howard Hall.
Dr.. OVerholser revealed that the
overall capacity of the hospital, e
without overcrowding, is just un- !
der 5000. There are now ap-
proximately 6.700 patients actually
in the hospital, he said. I
The hospital, however, has on l
its rolls about 7,100 patients, he
said. Approximately 400 of these.
however, are not in the hospital at
the same time, because some are +
allowed to visit relatives and re-
man away for periods of time in
line with their treatment to bring
about recovery.
AS to Howard Hall, which houses
the criminals, DR.. Overholser said
he did not like the idea of having {
a waiting list for it which recently
has been the case. Only a COM l
parative few, however, have been
on the waiting list, it was indi-
Gated.
I'VE don't like the situation, but
we are doing the best we can un-
der the circumstances, DR.. Over
holSer said. q