4

law in the causes of criminal behavior and its treatment, to note the veering
away from the old conception of a set punishment for a set offense—a step,
we feel, in the right direction.

(3) Reform.—Just as after years of discussion in medical, legal and
academic circles the Behavior Clinic finally emerged, so too, after much dis-
cussion and finally through the concentrated efforts of the Behavior Clinic,
an institution for defective delinquents and a radical change in the commit-
ment of that type of offender, have been evolved. Though the need has been
long standing, it was not until Dr. Harry R. Hoffman cohesed the general
agitation into concrete meetings, committees and potent propaganda, that
an amendment to “An Act to better provide for the care and detention of
feebleminded persons”, was finally passed by the State Legislature. In Sep-
tember, 1933, a theory became an actual reform. By this law defective de-
linquents are committed directly to the State Department of Public Welfare
who in turn, after receiving an intensive psychiatric study at the Diagnostic
Depot in Joliet, are classified and committed to the proper institution. In
those instances where a patient has been examined by the Behavior Clinic
the findings of the Clinic are accepted without further examinations; thus
the time and expense of the psychiatric group at the State Penitentiary are
saved.

Personnel—It is intended that all the members of the staff will even-
tually be placed under Civil Service. Thus far only the supervising
psychiatric social worker falls in this category. The psychiatrists were
selected by the Chicago Institute of Medicine; the psychologist and medical
stenographers were appointed by the Director of the Clinic. The staff as it
was originally conceived, consisting of two half time psychiatrists, a full
time psychologist, a resident physician, two psychiatric social workers and
stenographic service, was barely adequate. With the depleted budget,
effective since March, 1932, which eliminated entirely the services of the
resident physician and one social worker, and cut the psychologist’s serv-
ices to half time, the Clinic has been working under a handicap, despite
which the case load has increased and the service widened, especially since
the Courts have become acutely aware of its existence and dependent on its
services. :

The Behavior Clinic has now been in existence for 32 months. We feel
that it has well justified its establishment not only for its work as an ad-
visory psychiatric service to the Courts, nor as an economy measure effecting
a savings to the County, but more important, for its inculcation into the
spirit of the law and the philosophy of those practicing it, the conception of
the offender as a mentally sick individual in need of study and treatment
rather than a pariah to be punished according to the heinousness of his
offense.