Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-15

ing that any person found not
guilty by reason of insanity must
be hoSpitalized until both the
hospital and the court feel that
he is safe to be at large. the num-
Der of those hoSpltalized after
acquittal has grown from none
in fiscal 1854 to Is in tiScal 1856.
5. The operation Of the new
law severity taxed maximum Sc
curity facilities at both District
General Hospital and St. Eliz-
abeths but Dr, Overholzer's offer
to make more beds available to
prisoners through installing an
intermediate security Set-up is
expected to relieve the logjam
At one point. there were 43
mentally i'll persons waiting to
get into the maximum security
facilities at st. Elizabeths. AS
result of a series of confer
enceS DR.. Overholser decided to
take a greater calculated risk
ana move prisoners faster out Of
the maximum security wards OF
Howard Hall. He also agreed
to admit some non-dangerouS
prisoners to civil wards of the
hospital. The backlog has drop
ped to "a
Seventeen of those awaiting
admission are lodged in Jail
These are sentenced prisoners
who, under operation Of the new
law. have been found psychotic
by the court clinic and can be
transferred to st. Ellzabeths
without further court action as
soon as beds are available.
The rest awaiting admission to
st. Elizabeths are at District
General Hospital. Dr. John D.
Schultz. head Of District General
erals psychiatric department,
said because of st. Elizabeths
cooperation. the backlog has
dropped from II patients as re-
Gently as six weeks ago to seven
now awaiting beds at St Eliza
bethS.
Until most Of them are moved
District General cannot accept
the five who are waiting at the
Jail for mental examinations at
District General. Dr. Schultz
said these five all have serious
criminal charges lodged against
them and can be admitted only
to the maximum security ward
which has only 16 beds.
Addict Increase Noted
District General has been re-
ceiving the District Court prison
ers only since the new law went
into effect. The impact of these
cases, Dr.. Schultz explained, has
come at time when the number
of narcotics addicts at the hos
pital has increased from "a in
fiscal 1854 to 202 in fiscal 1856
and an increasing number Of
juveniles have been sent to the
hospital for examination
st. Elizabeths has experienced
an increase, too, but on a smaller
scale. The number Of court cases
on the rolls at the end of each
fiscal year rose from 462 in fiscal
1854, to 468 in fiscal 1855, to 472
in fiscal 1856.
Despite tn. housing problems
created by operation Of the new
law, Dr.. Overholser expressed
his belief that the present han
ding of criminal insanity cases
follows the best traditions of the
law.
Hospital examinations are
more satisfactory than those
made in Jail he commented
And attorneys are not quite so
anxious now to request mental
examinations unless they have
some grounds iol It But on the
whole. prisoners whose mental
state is in doubt are having more
attention paid to them,
Believes Some Deceived
Nj. Gasch said he believed
the figures gathered By his office
tended to disclose that in the
past mallngerers we're deceiying
the psychiatristS.
Persons observed by COM
petent psSchlatriSts under hos
Ipital conditions and found to be
Iof unsound mind really are in
need OF treatment, he said. u