Evening star., 1954-11-21
Backlog Grows
As MoreCIainl
Mental Illness
80 at City Hospital
And Jail Waiting to
Enter St. Elizubeths
By Miriom Ottenbero

1OW WILL T6CeQC court OCCASIONS
broadening the test of criminal
insanity and making it easier
for defendants to get mental
examinations affect the facili-
ties for housing and treating
them?
That became a prime question
last week with these develop
ments:
/. st. Elizabeths Hospital Su-
perintendent Winfred Overhol-
ser announced that about 80
persons were waiting to get into
the hospitals maximum security
building, Howard Hall.
2. An attorney for defendant
found not guilty by reason of
insanity under the broader test
filed a petition for a writ of
habeas corpus because his client,
committed for more mental OBJ
seryation, was still lodged in Dis
trict Jail.
8. DR.. Overholser pledged at
a meeting that he would hold
those acquitted by reason of in
sanity until they were safe to
return to the community. Later.
he acknowledged that such a
program would increase the log
jam in Howard Hall.
List Is Longer.
Hospital authorities say it's
too soon to tell how much the
recent decisions have increased
the waiting list. All they know
is that it's longer than ever and
a new building for the criminally
insane is still in the preliminary
planning stage.
The Star investigated the wait
ing list with these results:
In three cases, the court had
committed the defendants to st.
Elizabeths for mental examina-
tions to determine whether they
we're mentally competent to
stand trial. All three were COM
mitted in September for 60 or 80
days. All three are still at Dis
trict Jail.
These cases presumably are
the type Chief Judge Bolitha j.
Laws of United States District
Court for the District of Colum-
bla was referring to when he
told a meeting last week that he
has had to continue cases sew
eral times because mental exam
nations had not been COM
pleted. In these cases, the men
tai examination hasn't even been
started.
Will Get Precedence.
Another three cases on the
waiting list involved defendants
found not guilty by reason of in
sanity. When the habeas corpus
action was filed last week, DR..
Overholser announced he would
give these cases precedence over
all others. One then was ad-
mitted to st. Elizabeths, the
second was held at Jail to answer
the writ of habeas corpus and
the hospital has not yet au-
thorized admission in the third
case.
One on the waiting list Is
James Wear, tie defendant
whose conviction was reversed
in the U S. Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia last
summer. It was the decision in
the Wear case that now makes
1t easier for defendants to get
mental examinations. The ap-
pellate court ordered new trial
for Wear with opportunity for
determination of appellants
mental condition. ~ Accordingly,
Wear on October 20 was COM
mitted to st. Elizabeths for so
days mental observation. Wear
is still at District Jail.
Ten on the waiting list have
been found mentally incompetent
to stand trial since September.
All were committed to st. Eliza
beths. All are still at the Jail.
Eleven have been found Of
unsound mind by Municipal
Court juries and are lodged at
District General Hospital until
st. Elizabeths finds room for
them. One of them has been
waiting since August IL.
Since District General has no
maximum security facilities,
these criminally insane are on
the wards. with other mentally
i'll patients. The hospital de-
scribed some of them as serious
offenders" Five of them had
been accused of assault before
they were found Of unsound
mind.
They Get Disturbed.
A District General spokesman
said St. Elizabeths is co-opera-
tive about accepting the most
unmanageable. But, this spokes-
man said, they get more and
more disturbed the longer they
wait, they want to know when
they're going. They fill beds
which could be much better used
for treatment"
The remaining three on the
waiting list include one sex psy-
chopath, one patient from Nor
folk, Va, and one from Spring
field (Mo.) medical center.
With the insanity issue COM
ing to the fore, Donald Clemmer,
District Director of Corrections.
said he will ask the courts to
make arrangements to notify
him which of his inmates are
claiming mental illness. Up to
now, the Jail hasn't been no.
titled of mental claims or in
sanity pleas until the case was
disposed of. He said he thought
the Jail, as a matter of handling.
should know which inmates
might be psychotic.
Asked about the waiting list,
DR.. Overholser said, "Of course,
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