Evening star., 1952-03-16
Juvenile Home
Attack Brings
Tighter Rules
Strict Orders Issued
After Deronged Boy
Assaults Attendant ;
By jones G. Deone

SS0uAAS VAsSbu00u1
By james 6. Deone
Stricter procedure in sending
juvenile lawbreakers to the Dis
trict's Receiving Home will be
ordered because Of a recent as
sault by a deranged inmate on an
attendant at the home, it was
learned last night.
Welfare Director Gerard M
Shea said Juvenile Court will be
asked for written warning about
all mental cases in the future
And space for noting mental ills
will be added to the homes ad-
mission form. he added.
Mr.. Shea's decision followed his
discovery that a 17-year-old youth
who violently attacked a Receiv-
ing Home attendant February 2e
previously had been a patient at
st. Elizabeths Hospital, and was
under care of a psychiatrist.
DR.. Winfred Overholser, ST.
Elizabeths Hospital superintend-
ent said the youth was committed
to the institution by court order
last April and discharged as $50
clally recovered" in September
He showed no violence at the
hospital. DR.. Overholster said he
could remember no other case of
discharged patient getting into
serious difficulty of this sort.
Welfare officials have asked the
Mental Health Commission to
consider recommitting the youth
to- st. Elizabeths.
No Precautions Taken.
William Stone, superintendent
of the home, said he did not learn
Of the youths mental history un-
til after the attack. Therefore no
special precautions had been
taken.
Judge Edith H. Cockrill of Juve-
nile Court, under whose authority
the youth was. sent to the home.
said she was certain the mental
information had been given ver-
bally to the Receiving Homes as
sistant superintendent, Joseph Ko-
sisky. Mr.. Kosisky denied this,
however, and the information was
not listed on the homes records.
The February 90 attack, which
stirred a near-riot, was the most
serious involving a mentally dis
turbed inmate in the homes his
tory. The injured attendant. Paul
K. Lindsay, 27. colored, suffered a
fractured skull, and may have
suffered permanent injury to his
sight and hearing, according to
welfare officials. He narrowly es-
capped being killed, Mr.. Shea said.
Second Confinement.
The young inmate, accused of
auto theft, was in his second con-
f1nement at the home when the
attack occurred, having been there
on similar charge a month
earlier.
He struck Mr.. Lindsay with a
steel pipe support unscrewed from
a wash basin. officials said he
had threatened earlier to try tc
escape.
Juvenile Court sent the youth
to the home February 20, the day
of his arrest. to await a hearing
before Judge Cockrill. At the
time Of his admission, it was re-
ported. no mention was made OF
his mental history.
But standing instructions OF
Judge Cockrill, which she con-
firmed to welfare officials in q
letter last November, require court
probation officers to advise the
Receiving Home superintendent
verbally "of any case in which a
child i. !. requires special atten-
tion or treatment for his own pro-
lection and safety or for the safe.
ty and protection of others while
at the Receiving Home"
Contends Rule Observed.
Judge Cockrill told The Star
this rule was complied with when
the youth first was sent to the
home in January.
I'm certain it was DONE" the
Judge said. "Such information
is always given"
Mr.. Shea said the information
as repeated to him last week BY
the judge, was. that the youth hac
been In st. Elizabeth's suffering
from catatonic schizophrenia. But
he was told, the youth had beer
Internationally released, although
he was under a psychiatrist's care
Supt. Stone told The Star:
"If I had known the boy.
history, I would have tried to gel
him transferred to Gallingel
Hospitals psychiatric ward"
In addition to the youths men.
tai history, his father is now {
patient at st. Elizabeths.
Nothing unusual, however, wa.
noted in his behavior at the Re.
ceiving Home up to the time Of tn.
attack, the superintendent said
A psychiatrist and the court pro.
baton officer had paid him visit!
during the preceding days.
Judge Cockrill called the cas-,
extremely regrettable." But sh,
characterized it as lone of thos'
things nobody ever could hav,
anticipated
She said she will agree to MI
Shea's proposal for written infor
nation, instead of verbal.
Would Eliminate Problems.
This, Mr.. Shea said, would elm
mate future misunderstanding.
Mr.. Shea said the case had n
connection with the long-stand
ing controversy about Judge Cock
rill'S ban on release of social his
tories of juveniles to the Welfar
Department and other agencie.
The Receiving Home in this in
stance was acting as q holdin
agency for the court whereas tn
secrecy controversy has involves
juveniles assigned by the cour
to other agencies after hearing.
The welfare director said he
q r,roT7onent 0f less restriction, 4