Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1929, Síða 244

210
TÍMARIT ÞJOÐRÆKNISFELAGS ISLENDINGA
piqued their vanity. This I advised tihem
was the main reason wihy the Icelandic
National Patriotic League was anxious to
delve into tihe matter again and ascertain
if there was any reasonable ground for
their suspicion as to Ihis mental incapacity.
I might point out that no person or per-
sons whatsoever are allowed to contribute
anything at all towards the welfare or
wellbeing' of any prisoner incarcerated in
any of the penitentiaries of Canada as the
authorities take t)he view that he prison-
ers are amply provided for by he state,
and for that reason any move to disturb
that relationship beween the authorities
and the prisoner, or as between any out-
side organization and prisoner is very
strongly resented by the authorities in
oharge of ‘he penitentiary. And at the
same time I might mention that there is
no visiting done by outside organizations
in ‘he penitentiary as is say the rule in
all our governmental hospitals.
I would point out that it is provided
for in tihe criminal code of Canada that
in case there is any likelihood of a prison-
er being of unsound mind that investiga-
tions as to his sanity should be made pre-
vious to his trial by a jury of 12 men,
before his trial is proceeded with but in
the case of Ingólfur Ingólfsson this was
■not done. Also it is provided for in the
Peniten'iary Act of Canada that in case
any prisoner who has entered one of the
penitentiaries of Canada is found to be
insane within three montlhs of his en'.ry
to such penitentiary and upon certificate
from the surgeon of the penitentiary to the
effect that sudh person, if in the opinion
of such surgeon, such action is warranted,
shall be confined in a mental hospital in
tihe province from which he came from
and slhall remain tihere until such a time
as he is cured, shall be returned to the
penitienf.iary fríom whence he came to
complete his sentence unless ordered by
tilie Governor General in Council at Otta-
wa, Ontario, but this was not done in the
case of Ingólfur Ingólfsson aforesaid.
I was advised in my investigations tJiat
all the authorities at Prince Albert, Sask.,
were of tihe opinion that Ingólfur Ingólfs-
son is not mentalliy sound, that he is pe-
culiár in his speedh and -his actions, but
that he is not at all violently insane, or
dangerous to fais fellow prisoners, in fact
he has been a model prisoner in the four
years that he has been incarcerated at
Prince Albert psnitentiary and has never
shown any violence at all, and this corro-
bora‘ed by tihe surgeon in charge of the
penitentiary.
I investigated tihe reason why Ingólfur
Ingólfsson had not been sent to a mental
hospital and I was advised tihat altihougSi
he was not sound mentally his condition
was of such a nature that he could get
along all right at tihe penitentiary, and ií
his condi ion does not get worse he will
fare mucfa better there í’han at the mental
hospital, and that Ingólfur Ingólfsson has
behaved mighty well, is not at all des-
ponden1, and has nsver complained of his
treatment there, nor has he required any
medical attention.
As I was anxious to get in‘o the question
of the mental aspect of the cass I enquired
if it were not advisable to have Ingólfur
Ingólfsson examined by a high au’tihority
on mental diseases and have it established
beyond a question of a doubt that he was
mentalliy unsound. I was advised that
not much good would be derived from
such a procedure as in this case doubt
was expressed whetiher such an examina-
tion would really have him placed in a
mental hospital. If he were placed in a
men,'al hospital it would act as against his
personal or physical welfare as his op-
portunity of eventually obtaining a parole
would be thereby lessened.
It was brought to my attention by the
authorities that the onl,y advantage in hav-
ing this done and ob‘‘aining a certificate
of insanity would be to satisfy the vanity
of the Icelanders in America and the Ice-
landic National Pa‘riotic League in hav-
ing it definitely proved that Ingólfur Ing-
ólfsson was insane and therefore legally
not responsible for his actions in commit-