Show More Scientific Handling Of Minded Feeble Insane And Offenders Advocated More modern scientific and et- et et f means of ot caring tor for and handling the Insane detective defective and l d dependent d class's classes s ot of people in Ue the thea thea II a 11 rte of ot Utah was waa urged by Govnor Gov- Gov Govnor nor George Geore H Dern Darn in a special message to the legislature le deity deity- delivered delivered ered In person person at a Joint session ot of the two houses yesterday esterday aft afternoon ft The governor recommended the of ot an Institution for tor ere ot or the minded feeble-minded so that this class clans segregated front the he insane In the state slate mental ho pItal and tho the delinquent In the thes s sate At Industrial school He advocated construction or of orth oft th t proposed new penitentiary with wilh a view to segregation ot of youthful first offenders from old and hardened hardened criminals more financial and moral support for tor forthe tho juvenile court and the establishment establishment of ot a central board ot of control for the various lions having to do with the classes enumerated to establish and su- su supervise supervise su supervise the use of ot proper ps psychiatric ric principles In handling the tho In- In In mats mat's of ot these Institutions S Following the governors governor's ad- ad ad dr S 3 s Dr George L Wallace allace member of ot the executive commit commit- committee committee committee tee of ot the national committee for tor formental mental hygiene who ho has haa been making II a a survey of ot mental deficiency clency conditions In Utah told the legislators some ot or the things he had found GOVERNORS GOVERNOR'S VIEWS The ors governors address to thy legislature le follows In part At the state mental hospital Iam I am sure you will find the j cal condition ot of the existing plant praiseworthy andI and I have nothing but commendation tor for the mannor manner man man- l ner nor In to which the Institution Is be- be beIng beIns Ing Ins Inga a id d However It Is shamefully overcrowded It would would would-C- o hardly hardly be bo nn an exaggeration to say the tho tho patients are arc being crowded out t i of ot the building and forced to sleep on the tire fire escapes The are aro designed tor for 67 patients and the present population population population tion Is This Includes about minded feeble-minded who should not be kept In an Institution or of that kind The medical staff con- con of ot two physicians one ot of whom Is the superintendent whose duties require most ot of his time I 1 am nm advised that an n Increased medical staff of trained trainer psychiatrists would 1 s probably result In re result ln In an on Increased ed number ot of discharges so that the thenet thenet thenet net operating would ho reduced to say nothing of o the tho profit and happiness of ot the pa- pa patients pa patients and their ram families Illes In my opinion there thero would be much much benefit derived from putting this I institution Into the hands of ot l f s t n l appointive unpaid board of ot lt r five members at least two of ot whom should be women ARCHAIC A lC PROCEDURE In rn this connection I call attention at- at to our archaic commitment law under which Inane In ne persons are treated as criminals WIO who must he be arrested and locked up In jail jail jail- Ins Insanity Is a 0 mental disease and should receive medical attention just as tuberculosis scarlet fever or any other physical disorder Insanity Is no disgrace It Is simp simp- simply simply ly Ip ly an illness r Indeed It Is h less leM disgraceful tor a 0 mental alt all ail ment ment than to have hare smallpox ty- ty typhoid typhoid ty typhoid fever or diphtheria forr for r these are wholly preventable and anyone who contracts them has i through ignorance or carelessness tailed railed to take tale the proper precautions We Ve need a new commit commit- commitment commitment commitment ment law so o that the Insane will willbe be recognized as sick people and treated as such An Insane say say- asylum hum lum um Is no ro n longer a prison but n a and should 1 be regarded and operated as such At the state prison our treat treat- V ment ment ot or the Inmates Is j title There Is no clas classification of ort t prisoners Youthful first offend offend- ere cu are thrown with habitual crimInals In enforced Idleness with the result that they often come omo out of ot prison worse than they hey went In K It the prison Is rei re- re i moved moved moved from from Its present site I hope hoe i s the new prison will be bo b more mod mod- mod ern In Its conception and in Us its faculties The purpose of or a prison pris- pris on oh but also Is not only to punish I t reform If It possible Most people still cherish the Idea that the punishment should fit tit the tho crime Under this theory theor If a 0 man commits a a crime that merits five years Imprisonment he Ie should be kept In prison five year and then turned out to com com- commit commit commit mit another crime Modern crim crim- criminology criminology points out a a more oro scientific scientific way to protect society It insists that every criminal act Is due to some Borne clear definable condition con con- condition con condition of ot the mind or of ot allty person person- personality allt that makes the criminal not only probable but often otten In- In In Inevitable evitable The modern criminal scientist has discovered disco that lUtt more than half hair the criminals are aro emit suf suffering fering from flom some form torm of ot mental disease or abnormality and unless the disorder can be cured such sucha a person should not be relas released j for tor he ho Is practically certain to repeat his offense Wo Vo should bear In mind that men not only go Into prison but they come out again There Thero Is a constant stream going in and a constant stream coming out Unless these coming out have been reformed or Improved ed during their confine contine- confinement confinement ment ment society has not been pro pro- protected pro protected because a stream ot of crim crim- crimInals crim- crim criminals criminals has been turned loose A Aprison Aprison prison therefore fails falls of ot Its pur- pur purpose purpose pur purpose pose to protect society It if It does not reform Its Inmates before betoN turning them out If It they cannot be reformed they ther they should not le Ie 1 turned out to prey upon society again This This- process of ot reform and particularly of ot knowing when a reform has been effected involves In- In Involves In Involves treatment investigations In ln and methods beyond the ken of the ordinary layman Jayman A trained d psychiatrist would give the board or of pardons pardon something besides work work guess to guide It and much mu hot ot of the agitation ml misdirected against the indeterminate sen- sen sentence sentence sen sentence tence might be avoided INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL At the Industrial school chool similar problems arise and the same scientific methods would be helpful In reclaiming the way way- wayward wayward ward youth Indeed the problem m at the industrial school among II a large percentage of o the population population tion Is one of ot mental deficiency At At least thirty of ot the present inmates are minded feeble May Mo I J In passing say a word ord of tribute to Mr E J Milne who served as superintendent of ot the th Industrial school tor for two years eals until he resigned In December Dec mb r Through his conspicuous ability for tor this class ot or work his arl ad administration ministration was an ou outstanding success I also atso want to say that II a legitimate and pressing need at atthe atthe atthe the Industrial school Is a gym gym- gymnasium gymnasium gymnasium for very ery practical rea- rea reasons reasons rc sons i-sons sons It Jt will wll be noted that In dis- dis discussing cussing cussing the several sc institutions the thc question of ot feeble mindedness feeble recurs regularly Feeble minded Feeblemindedness ness ness DeBS Is a real problem In Utah 11 as it Is In 11 every ery other state stale It ItIs Itis ItIs Is conservatively estimated that there are arc at least 2000 feeble feeble- feebleminded minded feeble minded persons In our state ot of whom are aro Institutionalized institutionalised at atthe atthe the state mental hospital where they do not belong Crime pros pros- prostitution prostitution Illegitimacy and de- de dependency dependency de dependency find their most fruitful soil in this class Because we wo do donot donot donot not make an organized effort o 0 care for tor our minded feeble-minded W we throw a tremendous burden of ot ex- ex expense ex expense pense penso upon our courts our cor- cor correctional correctional cor correctional Institutions and ou our charitable organizations To allow these mental defectives to run wild wildIs wildis wildIs Is the most wasteful and ex- ex extravagant ex extravagant tra course we can cnn pursue from a financial standpoint to say nothing of ot the moral deter deter- deterIoration deterioration deterioration produced thereby It seems Impossible to escape the conclusion that a state tion 10 6 or school for tor the feeble feeble- feebleminded minded feeble minded would be a good Invest invest- investment Investment ment much as we wo may dislike the thought ot of o building and oper oper- operating operating operating another state tate Institution It costs about 1200 per bed to construct and equip a a school for tor forthe forthe the teel minded feeble le and the cost costo of maintenance malt Is about the sane sam as In a II mental hospital or about abot per person An institution with a II capacity of ot GOO COO Inmates would not be bo too large To this Institution the minded feeble now In the mental hospital and the Industrial school could be transferred trans trans- transferred transferred This would materially rp- rp relieve re lieve the tho congestion at the mental hospital and would make It pos pos- possible possible pos possible sible to defer deter the construction ot of new buildings at that Institution CENTRAL L STAI-K STAI From what has been said It appears that mental defectiveness lies at the bottom ot of o the problem In all the institutions I have ha men men- mentioned mentioned mentioned This Is tile tie field of the with Its Ita im- im immensely Im Immensely newer psychiatry Important and wide out out- outlook out outlook look 1001 upon the causes and possible modifications ot of human reactions liS as found In mental life and con con con- conduct conduct dud duct It If we wo would modernize our methods we mutt roue avail vall ourselves ol of the results ot of this scientific rev re- research search and apply It to the solution solution tion or amelioration ot of these problems problems problems lems The rhe efficient way to do this would be not to establish a trained staff at each Institution Institution Institution tion but to create a central board ot of control with personnel anti and authority to supervise the technique n all of ot the Institutions Each Esch In- In institution In Institution would still have Its own board of ot trustees but there would be an additional central board to determine and outline policies and to see that the practice was kept up to prescribed standards I haY have have no hesitancy In recommending th the creation of ot an organization of at this type For For the past two weeks Dr Georgo L L Wallace allace superintendent ot of the Wrentham state school or of Wrentham Mass and member ot of the executive e committee of ot the na- na national national na national committee for tor mental hygiene hy- hy hygiene hy hygiene giene has been In Utah making an Intensive study of ol mental deficiency conditions I am Indebted to him for tor many ot of the thO Ideas herein ex- ex expressed ex expressed pressed JUVENILE JU COURTS The The central board of ot control which I have herein suggested could also assume certain other Important functions We te e have havo n a number of ot beneficent laws for the Improvement ement of ot social conditions the full effect of ot which has never been realized because of inadequate machinery and for tor their thell administration The laws for the licensing ot of maternity homes and child placing agencies our juve juve- juvenile juvenile nile court laws and our special school and class laws are among this number It Is the tho sentiment ot of those especially Interested In social work In the tho state that such laws will be more satisfactorily administered admin admin- adminIstered administered when they are under the advisory d control of a centralized authority The The very complexity of ot the so- so social social so social cial problem which has arisen In Inthe inthe the wake of ot ad advancing makes us look to prevention as panacea rather than wait watt until conditions become acute and th then h attempt to cure them In any such program of o prevention I believe the juvenile courts and similar or- or or organizations designed to nip In the bud the growth of ot juvenile delin delin- delinquency delinquency quency that lead so 80 many thou thou- thousands thousands thousands sands into conflict with society will play a II most important role TIle The juvenile court system has been criticised for tor Its poor standards In Inthis Inthis Inthis this state and I 1 am Inclined to the view that this status Is In no small measure due duo to two primary causes First the state tate the tho coun coun- counties coun- coun counties counties ties and the cities cilles have havo not seen fit adequately to finance a good working organization In the past and second the tho people themselves are too prone merely to tolerate the juvenile ju court as os a meddlesome agency and to regard Its work as asa asa asa a huge joke To the legislature I 1 commend the need of making ot-making making ade nde adequate quate financial provision for tor the juvenile courts and to the scoffers I would suggest that they spend a aday aday aday day In the juvenile court count and make II a little Inquiry Into the tho work be- be before before be before fore being so ready with their condemnation con con- condemnation con condemnation I I question that the court has ever been adequately financed fi- fi financed fi financed Court officers are now d devoting no Inconsiderable rable part of their time for a compensation as low as 5 and 10 per month The allowance of at the past blen biennium lum for tor travel has been about 29 23 cents for tor each case cuo handled and the office fore they reach tho the stage where expense has been but little more than enough to pay proper tele- tele telephone telephone tele telephone phone expenses A juvenile court organization r functioning properly will tend to reclaim many future futuro citizens be- be be Institutional care caro becomes nary sary and considering tho thou thousands sands ot of dollars spent In the state annually for keeping people In in- in institutions In Institutions for tor Incarcerating crim finals criminals and tor for public charges In-I In It would seem to be bo the poorest economy economy to fall to provide more moro adequate aid for tor the Iho ha juvenile court strikes at nt the tho root of ot the the Institutions seek to cor COt correct correct recto The Tho budget aa as submitted was based baaed juvenile on the theory that the juve juve- juve- juve nile court commission would uk ask tor for a change In lh the tho o tat law v to allow I it the tho use of or all fines Imposed by the courts In the tho light of o later l devel- appears inexpedient to follow tollow out this plan and It ft la is there tore fore In 11 order to allo allow for tor an in- in increase In Increase crease in n the appropriation |