Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-08-12
Views on Anti-Crime Bill
Different as Night and Day

not suffer from a mental dis
ease.
The minority protests that
the bill would make radical
and far-reaching changes in a
highly complex and controver-
sial field of law"
Besides, a seeming squirt Of
acquittals by reason of insan-
ity after the 1854 Durham rule
has ended, dissenters note. In
sanity verdicts fell from 81 10
SO in the last year. Even 81
represented only 5 per cent
of the criminal indictments in
the District.
The minority credited a 1862
Court of Appeals decision in
the Mcdonald case. The jury
rules on credibility of experts
testifying as to mental condi-
tons of defendants, thus SUBJ
shutting the jury for PSYCHE
artists as arbiters of mental
defects, according to the major
committee dissent.
Detention for questioning by
police, say the minority, is a
system of "back-door arrests. /"
This is a shameful and plainly
unconstitutional practice" the
minority maintains. An order
by the District Commissioners
stopped such arrests in the city
as of March Is.
Detention raises political
tempers, since it was Presiden-
tial Assistant Charles Horsky
who headed the citizens COM
mittee that urged Commits
sioners to abolish investigative
arrests as unconstitutional"
The House Committee branded
this Commissioners order as a
"mongoloid" offspring of the
Mallory rule, designed to i'm
pede police efforts to apprehend
criminals. The Commissioners
made no provision for question:
ing on probable cause, the Com
mittee stresses.
Other sections of the crime
bill would:
Add robbery to the list crimes
of violence, increasing the
minimum sentence from six
months to five years, and hold
ing the maximum sentence at
fifteen years.
Severe Rape Penalty
Demand death, or life i'm
prisonment, for rape. The pen
atty is now death at the dis
creation Of the jury or thirty
years in prison.
Establish the first minimum
Sentence-two years-for con-
viction on assault with intent
to commit a violent crime or
to poison.
Redefine burglary, creating
two degIees-firSE, breaking
and entering into sleeping
quarters with intent to steal
or commit other crimes, 20
years to life Imprisonment, with
parole only after 20 years: and
second breaking and entering
other premises. five to fifteen
years Imprisonment.
Increases Bride Fines
Increase fines for bribing &c
influence sports events from q
$1,000 fine or one year i'm
prisonment to fines from ST.
900 to $4,000 and Jail terms
from one to ten years. Impose
a one-to-ten year imprison-
ment for anyone agreeing to q
bride.
Add TO punishment for crimes
committed by persons who are
armed. five years imprison.
ment for the first conviction
10 years for the second, IL
years for the third and 80
years for the fourth, with no
suspended or probationary SEN
fences.
Permit courts TO restrain for
10 years, production Of ma
terials found TO be obscene
Enforcement officials could
seize indecent materials, and
under court order, destroy the
materials and sell the produc-
ton machinery. Penalties for
knowingly producing and dis
tributing such material would
be increased from fines of $50
to $500 TO fines Of 5000 TO
$1,000 and from jail terms Of
one year 10 terms UP to two