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PAROLE

"Most of the children in the Pownal, Me., State School are assigned here by probate courts after application by their family or other guardians, and upon recommendation of the Superintendent of the School. A few are assigned by municipal courts when the children are involved in a delinquency charge.

"About 35 per cent of the patients are high grade defectives many of whom can be trained and rehabilitated to outside communities. At the present time there are 18 Pownal patients who are out on trial visits and some of these may be discharged eventually.

"A child may be discharged in three ways: by recommendation of the staff of Pownal to the State Commissioner of Institutional Service, by the sole action of the Commissioner, or by action of the Justice of the Superior Court when further detention is unnecessary in his opinion.

"School recommendations are based on the progress the child has made in his mental age, his rating on social maturity tests, and the desirability of the environment to which the child will be sent."

An assignee from the American Fork, Utah, State Training School wrote, "The State of Utah has a law which provides for the sterilization of the feeble minded. A majority of the patients at this school who are paroled to homes or to jobs, or those that are allowed to marry are first sterilized.

"Some of the children seem a little sorry about it, but most of them are eager to get it over with because they are then given more opportunities to get out on their own.

"Of the 1,260 children who have been committed since the school opened in 1931, about 600 have been paroled or discharged. Some of the children remain in the school for a few months, a few will be there all their lives. We have five children from each of two families, great numbers of brothers and sisters, mothers and daughters, etc. Death rates in an institution of this kind are several times as high as in normal life."

And a report from Pennhurst says that the institution has been reluctant to release some of its better worker patients since professional personnel to train others has not been obtainable.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

A typical report on public relations of training schools comes from the Brethren unit at Mansfield (Conn.) State Training School: "It cannot be said that the patients either like or dislike us, since their attitudes change quickly and are apt to be irrational. By and large, we get along with the patients as well as the other employees and in many cases the basic attitude of the CPS men has made a noticeable difference in the reactions of the patients. . .

"Frankly it is to be doubted if the administration, in general, or the employees really understand the motivation of the CO's position. The large group of employees who are cooperative and friendly seem to feel we are short of help and since you won't fight you might as well be doing this.'

"The CPS unit cannot be praised publicly. A recent article by a trustee of Mansfield; which praised the work of the unit brought down a barrage of criticism by other employees.

"Criticism varies. CPS men are accused of being lazy, careless, incompetent which in this unit is simply not true. When a man does so well that the results are glaringly obvious, when it is said after all, what difference does it make if he does do well -- he should be out helping his country.'"

Public relations at the Laurel, Md., District (of Columbia) Training School are unusually good. All employees are invited to all public occasions sponsored by the unit; the school allows two hours off a week for relief and reconstruction study; on-job education is conducted each week by the Superintendent or another staff member.

Rosewood

The unit at the Rosewood State School in Maryland is in a less favorable position. The State of Maryland allots about $250 a year for each of 1,100 patients at the school. This comparatively small amount (Washington State spends about four times that much) makes any recreational, educational work for patients difficult. "When the unit first arrived there was considerable antagonism displayed by the children of the higher mental level. This has virtually died down except when a piqued patient reminds us of our status in uncomplimentary terms. With but a few exceptions our relations with other employees have been formal and impersonal. It is rather that we are regarded as a useful but not entirely acceptable group. Though it is recognized that their work burden is much lighter than it would be without us, several of the specialist and professional staff openly resent our stand. Relations with the administrative body are almost intolerable.

"CPS men at Rosewood have no educational director, no educational program, work 12 hours a day under unfriendly conditions; are still accomplishing a lasting job."

EDUCATION

The men at the New Lisbon unit work from 50 to 70 hours a week. In addition to their regular assignments CPS men organize Boy Scouts, chase runaways, take weekend recreational assignments with the patients whose major interest include such strenuous pastimes as baseball, hiking and comic books. In their off time the men continue language study in French or German; area study for relief work, relief problems. The AFSC has sent down a number of experienced speakers on relief subjects. Studies relating to the work at the school are going on, too: the superintendent gives a weekly talk on group therapy, delinquency, accounting practices in institutions. This is a more ambitious program than most of the units have, though almost all have some type of job training and religious program.