Evening star., 1954-11-02
YoungdaF1I Hits
Fee System for
Mental Exams
Asks Enough Funds
To Enlarge Court
Psychiutric Clinic
By Miriom Ottenbero

svtsss0W SeSSBBStS
Judge Luther Youngdahl to-
day termed the fee system for
paying psychiatrists objection
able" and called for enough
funds to enlarge the new court
psychiatric clinic to the point
where 1t can handle all mental
examinations in criminal cases.
Judge Youngdahl, who gained
national repute for improving
facilities for mental cases while
Governor of Minnesota, is the
liaison judge between U. s. Dis
trict Court for the District of
Columbia and the new psychi-
atric clinic.
$l2,41O Paid i'm Fees.
He made his comments on the
fee system after The Star re-
ported last Sunday that the Jus
tice Department paid out $12,-
410 in fees to psychiatrists for
mental examinations in crimi-
nal cases during the past fiscal
year.
The question of putting this
money into the new court clinic
was raised by The Star. A Jus
tice Department spokesman said
the department would welcome
anything that would cut costs
and insure good examinations
but the question of reimbursing
the clinic rather than paying
out individual fees would have
to be studied before the depart
lnitment.
The department Indicated It
would go into the fse question
If asked to do SO by 1.-THE courts.
Judge Youngdahl said he
would propose that his clinic
subcommittee explore this fund
raising possibility. He said he
believed it was a reasonable
proposal to carry out the pur-
poses of providing psychiatric
help.
The new clinic, with a $4,000
District appropriation, is sup
posed to serve the probation and
parole offices and correction in
stitutions as well as the courts.
Or. Thomas Griffin, who heads
the new clinic, said he would
like to be able to handle the
psychiatric examinations before
trial as part of the total picture.
Calls Payment 'Makeshift."
If the clinic staff As enlarged
enough to carry out these mental
examinations. it would mean
that the clinic would examine
prisoners before they go to trial.
after they are tried and await
sentencing, at the jail if they
show mental symptoms, and be-
fore parole.
Judge Youngdahl described the
payment of fees to individual
psychiatrists as a "makeshift"
until Congress appropriates
enough money to operate the
clinic on a wider scale.
The examinations had been
done solely by District General
Hospital psychiatrists, which
Judge Youngdahl described as a
wholesale method which made
1t impossible for overburdened
psychiatrists to make complete
examinations"
A panel of psychiatrists from
the District Medical Society was
set up to service periodically but
these psychiatrists are used
Sparingly.
Cites Change in Law.
Gas we get more appropria-
tions," Judge Youngdahl said,
ST hope we can eliminate the
fee system entirely. The fact
that we got a change in the law
TO add the courts to the list of
agencies served by the clinic
shows that we didn't believe in
the fee system.
"The ideal we must strive for
Is to have all psychiatrists used
by the courts in the clinic. These
psychiatrists will be officers of
the court, interested in research
ing into the truth effectively.
Their testimony will be received
with greater confidence"
The clinic versus the fee sys-
tenn has become an important
question recently since the U. S.
Court of Appeals for the District
Of Columbia handed down a
series of decisions affecting
mental cases. Court and legal
circles expect these decisions to
prompt a substantial increase in
the number of mental examina-
tions requested.