Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-12-13

kltlu OVcT Tic years has COIue 10
regard a mailman as a diseased
victim but an alcoholic is still
viewed widely as a common gut
ter bum, not sick but just shift
less.
The American Bar Association
has a special subcommittee here
studying legal problems caused
by alcoholics who pack our cells,
clutter the courts and take up
thousands of police man-hours.
The subcommittee says the
first thing to do in getting a
sensible system of handling them
is to educate the public that
alcoholism is a disease.
Second Objective
The second thing to do, the
subcommittee says. is to throw
out the statute permitting punt
tive Imprisonment to alcoholics.
It is as witless to send an alco-
holic to Jail. merely to punish
him, as it would be to pen up
a diabetic because he has dia-
betes, experts say.
Two weeks ago today the sub
committee fled its final report
and recommendations to its
parent group, the Special Com
mittee on Improving the Admin
istration Of Justice.
Chairman William M. Esca-
vaille of the subcommittee said
yesterday that the educational
program is No. on the priority
list.
His report said initiation Of a
public information program Ito
stimulate community support for
legal revisions, financial support
and popular acceptance" Of the
disease factor was vital to ANY
enlightened solution to the Pc
|rennial problem"
Tragedy Calls for Rescue
Alcoholism. the allergy which
Icompels an uncontrolled drinker
to go on drinking is a personal
tragedy for the individual. : 1t
follows that the ultimate goal is
the rescue Of this person from
his tragedy, in cases where
it is possible.
This step is a prerequisite to
the long-term solution of the
difficulty" the subcommittee
said. However, it is necessary toI
focus attention for the moment
on the immediate objective of
relieving the taxpayer and the
community Of this unnecessary
burden. From this accomplish
Iment, many corollary benefits
will come" ~
I'VE are spending well over al
million dollars per year on the
problem Of the penal alcoholic.
and making no progress toward
its solution" the report con-
tinued.
The Districts drunk law has
been compared to a revolving
door. A repeater drunk goes to
court. is sentenced to jail or
workhouse, serves his time. i'm
|mediately gets drunk again, re-
turns to court and imprisonment,
goes back to the bottle upon his
release, and keeps this cycle up.
Increasing Burden
80 far from alleviating the
situation or in any way solving
the problem, we are allowing the
size and completely of the burden
to increase each year; for not
only does the number Of jail
alcoholics and chronic repeaters
mount steadily. but our present
legal procedure makes it dif1cult
Ito reach potential offenders so
that there is no way Of shutting
them of at the source" the sub
committee stressed.
Since we are already SPEND
ling so heavily, we must find a
way to make our investment
show some return in the way Of
solving the alcoholic problem"
the report warned.
Lists Legal Goals
1t charts these legal goals:
/. Repeal Of the penal statute
on alcoholism. (Other large
cities do no classify ordinary
public drunkenness as a legal
loffense. But in the District to
be drunk in public is a misde-
meanor per se)
2. Creation of a commission
of alcoholism. Such an organ
ization would function as an
arm Of the police precincts and
Municipal Court. It would be
authorized to dispose Of all
alcoholic cases. except those in
volving crimes. Dispositions
would cover the considerations
lof health, treatment, recovery
or continuous care.
3. Legislation should be
worked out to authorize inde-
terminate sentence.
4. Legislation permitting the
commission to assign potential
Jail alcoholics. or chronic
alcoholics.
The subcommittee served
notice it was aware there are
problems in financing the pro-
posed system.
Would Divert Penal Finds
It recommended diverting
funds. now used for penal
procedures and allied uses. to
the support Of the new projects.
primarily for facilities.
Facilities will have TO be
established on a large scale.
literally to take the place Of
jails." the report said.
This will be the most expen-
sive part Of the program. But
since the candidates for in
patient care are largely at
present jail alcoholics. facilities