In the winter of 1916, the Massachusetts State Board of Insanity called a meeting. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss a law passed in 1911, which established a “department of defective delinquents” responsible for imprisoning anyone deemed to be “mentally defective” and “immoral” as determined by a doctor. The problem was that no precise definition of “mentally defective” had been agreed upon, and this made carrying out the law challenging.
The Importance of Definitions
The Importance of Definitions
The Importance of Definitions
In the winter of 1916, the Massachusetts State Board of Insanity called a meeting. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss a law passed in 1911, which established a “department of defective delinquents” responsible for imprisoning anyone deemed to be “mentally defective” and “immoral” as determined by a doctor. The problem was that no precise definition of “mentally defective” had been agreed upon, and this made carrying out the law challenging.