Evening star., 1959-12-29
COnjugaI Visits
ForCOnvicts
Are Backed
BY WILLIAM HINES
Star Science Writer

star Science Writer
CHICAGO. Dec. 29.-The
United States should give seEi-
Gus consideration to allowing
eonviets to have periodic mari
tai relations with their wives
while serving time in the peni-
-tentiary. a crin1inologist said
today.
DIR. Clyde B. Vetter told q go
cial-Science meeting here that
. system Of conjugal visits is
already in effect in Mississippi.
and has worked out so well
over a 1o-year period that it
might be a good idea to adopt
the plan elsewhere.
By permitting convicts and
their wives to share the sex
life, DR.. Vetter said. many per-
picking problems in and out
Of prison are relieved.
From a point of view of in
ternal administration Of pris-
ons, there can be expected to
be fewer tensions among pris-
onerS, less homosexuality and
fewer escape attempts and
other disciplinary difficulties.
he said. From the sociological
viewpoint, he added, the family
structure is maintained and
divorce is lessened.
Established as Right
DR.. Vetter said that in the
Mississippi prison system, these
visits are a matter of right,
not of privilege to be granted
or withheld by prison author
tiles for disciplinary reasons.
However, the conjugal right
Is restricted to couples who
are legally married, and de-
MED to those who claim a
common law relationship.
A sociology professor at the
Northern Illinois University, |
DR.. Vetter said he had made a
study Of similar visit systems
throughout the world. Prob
ably the best known to Ameri-
cans is that in Mexico, where
'conjugal visits (are) per-
mitted on Thursdays and Sun
days. with 70 per cent Of in
mates participating" Rules
vary. however, from short
visits in Turkey to unsuper-
vised visiting and home leaves
in Sweden, he said.
., In the Mississippi and Mexico
systems. DR.. Vetter said, women
convicts are not accorded con-
jugal rights. He said the rea-
son was that pregnancy would
be troublesome to prison ad-
ministration.
DR.. Vetter conceded that
"conjugal visits in prisons are
not compatible with the mores
Of the United States" but said
he was unable to see why this
was the case. He said he knew
Ct no religious considerations
that would initiate against leg
ally married persons enjoying
q physical relationship, in or
out Of prisons.
49,, Crime Theory Hit
DR.. Vetter's talk was part of
a three-day program on crimi-
nology, a part of the American
Association for the Advance
rnent Of Science meeting here.
Earlier. a New York criminolo-
gist- blasted the notion of a
Puerto Rican crime wave" in
the Nations largest city.
Donald MacNamara, dean of
the. New York Institute of
Criminology, charged that
crime wave talk was utterly
unjustified and had been COM
mon as long as there have been
immigrant groups.
Identifying himself as an
IriSh-American, Mr.. MacNa-
mara cited a doctoral diSserta-
ton at his alma mater, Colum-
hia, in the late 1800s which
"statistically proved" the Irish
to be six times as criminal as
they had any right to be, and
urged the immediate cessation
Of Irish immigration.
Sees Lower Ratio
Gauged against total convic-
tions or total admissions to
penitentiary. Mr.. MacNamara
said, the number of Puerto
Ricans involved is proportion
ate1y less than their proportion
Of the population.
Even in Juvenile delinquency,
the Puerto Rican does not show
up badly. the criminologist as
serted. despite stories of rum
bles. violence and gang-wars.
He explained: s.,
The teen-age population
among Puerto Ricans is dispro-
portionAte to their total num-
bers. While only 10 per cent of
New York City is Puerto Rican,
about 25 per cent of the student
body in the Junior and senior
high schools is Puerto Rican.
This is about the percentage of
Juvenile delinquency ascribable
to Puerto Ricans."
Another New York official
described a special State pa
role task force to supervise re-
leased convicts with narcotics
addiction records. BY careful
supervision, Meyer H. Diskind
said, more than nalf the pa
rolees were saved from relap-
- Il u