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

dIcOIloilc Is SICK person. Man.
of health, treatment, recovery
or continuous care.
3. Legislation should be
worked out to authorize indie
terminate sentence.
4. Legislation authorizing the
assignment of potential Jail OF
chronic alcoholics to the discre-
ton of the commission, by affi-
davit as is now done with
mental cases.
The subcommittee served
notice it was aware there are
problems in financing the pro-
posed system.
Would Divert Penal Finds
1t 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
for their future care should be
supported by what is now spent
on the penal system"
Until that transition could be
accomplished. emergency funds
would be needed to launch the
program. the report said.
I'VE realize that many will be
Skeptical toward the concept
that the alcoholic is a sick per-
son and that alcoholism is a
health problem" the subcommittee
reported.
But these doubts are largely
a matter of semantics: for the
plain fact is that the alcoholic
responds favorably to treatment,
medical or psychiatric or both,
if he is not too far gone-just
as any other diseased patient
does to treat alcoholism as
a crime is only to aggravate the
deformity so that it becomes
more monstrouS.
COvelI Campaigns
Deputy Police Chief Howard v.
Covell has been campaigning for
years for a new law on drunks.
He denounces the present act
as inhumane. Under it's pro-
visions. a decent citizen who
happens to get one drink too
many and stumbles into the
arms of the law, has a police
record started. If ordinary
drunkenness were no offense
there would be no need to book
the drunk. and thus no need to
begin a record on him.
Chief Covell would have the
police keep the drunk in custody
until sober, then release him.
There would be no need to post
collateral-$10 is the standard
sum needed to avoid court-or
go to court if the $40 could not
be obtained.
The subcommittee report said
Commission on Alcoholism
should be created to work with
police at the precinct level.
only in special cases involving
crimes or serious considerations.
other than alcoholism, would
they send the offender on to the
courts" the subcommittee said.
The commission plan goes
beyond the problem of dealing
with repeater DRINKS. 1t does not
stop at treating the men and
women who are in the revolving
door. The subcommittee said:
1T should, moreover, be with
in the authority of the commits
sion to reach the protected
alcoholic, and indeed it is in this
preventive area that such a body
could perhaps make its greatest
permanent contribution to Soc
iety.
For under enlightened proce-
Idures, if the family or friends or
doctor or other qualified COM
ponent is permitted to request
the commitment of an individual
for good reason, then the COM
mission would have jurisdiction
and could commit the patient
for treatment just as the mental
health authorities handle cases
IF it,cataftrf -