Unseen Erickson P.4

From the Archives of the Erickson Foundation
R3-C1-S3-U355: FOLDER 24
Maricopa Court Cases: Court Files and From the Archives of the Arizona Republic
Published in Phoenix, Arizona
Erickson Testifies on Mental Soundness
by Joyce Bavlinka, m.ed., lisac

The “Erickson Family History” chapter of “An Epic Life II: Milton H. Erickson Personal Perspectives,“ by Jeffrey Zeig, Ph. D. documents Erickson’s entry into interviewing suspects and convicts and reporting results to the courts. While in medical school at the University of Wisconsin, one of his professors recommended that he examine subjects and write reports for the Wisconsin State Board of Control.

“Professor Clark Hull recommended Erickson for the job because, as a pre-med student, Erickson also majored in psychology. Erickson also worked in the Wisconsin prison system where he did psychological testing in the Milwaukee House of Corrections, in an orphanage, at boys’ and girls’ industrial schools, at adult reformatories, and at the state home for dependent children. Erickson also examined detainees incarcerated both at the state prison and the prison for the criminally insane.

Erickson submitted his reports to the State Board of Control for several months, but then abruptly stopped when administration learned he was not on the payroll. Erickson’s volunteer efforts were strategic because he was immediately hired and received regular wages and a per diem. Over the Christmas holiday he was paid $10.00 per day – an exorbitant amount for a poor medical student…. Erickson wrote his thesis on intelligence and crime.”

Erickson completed an internship of Colorado Psychiatric Hospital and then was hired at the

“Rhode Island State Hospital where he trained himself in using mental status exams. Mental health exams are a structured way of observing and describing a patient’s current state of mind, including delusional content, hallucinatory content, and judgement. It is meant to be an objective measure…

Erickson would read the mental health status exam and he’d write what he thought was the patient’s social history. Then he would compare it with the actual social history from the social services department. Then he would do the opposite. He would read the patient’s social history and make an educated guess about the mental state exam, then compare it to the actual mental status exam. He repeatedly did this procedure to understand the connection between historical influences and current status. “

FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE ERICKSON FOUNDTION: FOLDER R3-C1-S3-U355

This folder contains 20 evaluations and reports that Erickson performed for the Maricopa County courts in the early 1960’s. Erickson was paid $50.00 for each report and an additional $100.00 if he was called to testify in court. Examinations were performed under Rule 250 to testifying in court determine if the defendant was able to understand the proceedings and assist in his own defense: the request for an examination was court ordered.

On March 15, 1963, Superior Court judge Henry Stevens writes to Erickson:

“Please permit me to write a short letter supplemented by a mimeographed enclosure. The appointment of psychiatrists in criminal cases is a frequent problem, and I for one appreciate knowing the names of the medical men who are willing to undertake this work. May I request your consideration of the enclosure and your reply.”

Attached to Judge Stevens’ letter and a copy of the Court’s “Guidelines for Physicians Practicing in the Field of Psychiatry/Court Appointments in criminal cases” is a handwritten letter:

“Thank you for the report. I am not sure whether or not there will be a formal hearing with the doctors called to testify….

I note with interest your reference to Wisconsin. I am a native of Madison and graduated from the U of Wis before coming to Arizona for Law School. One of my real good friends in high school and college was Dr. Edgar Gordon of the Wis Med School staff.”

On March 26, 1963, Erickson replies to Judge Stevens:

“In answer to your communication of March 15, since my teaching obligations are now greatly reduced, I shall be pleased to be of service to the court in making and reporting psychiatric examinations.

On May 3, 1963, Erickson writes to Judge Stevens:

“Thank you very much for giving me the privilege of seeing this particular patient. I worked my way through medical school doing psychological examinations on the penal inmates for the entire state of Wisconsin and was for 14 years a consultant for the Recorder’s Court in Detroit.

This patient represents an unmistakable but utterly bewildering social problem for which I feel society has no provision.

I am most grateful for the opportunity to see this interesting type patient.”

FOLLOWING ARE DETAILS THAT SOME MIGHT FIND DISTURBING

The case involved a young woman accused of strangling an infant. She pleaded not guilty on the grounds of insanity. Erickson testified for the prosecution. She admitted to attempting to kill two other babies. She also kidnapped an infant in New Mexico and took the child to Texas where she abandoned him. She had been on probation at that time. She had a history of mock suicide attempts.

Erickson’s report to the court states:

“She claims to have swallowed bed springs and toothbrushes…. You can see the X-rays at the County Hospital.” When asked if she might kill again, she responded she did not know.”

Erickson further states in his report:

“In brief, she is one of those persons that fall into that group called criminalistic, lacking in a drive toward socially acceptable behavior except that she does not want to be a thief or prostitute.

In the entire field of psychiatry this is no clear cut diagnostic term to apply to this girl other than to call her by the general diagnostic term of “Psychopathic Personality” or sociopath….

There is no known treatment for her and no known basis for treatment…. The handling of the patient is by whatever legal process is appropriate to protect society from her, since she is, in legalistic terminology a recidivist and will keep on following the same pattern of behaving.

If she is institutionalized in a mental hospital she will escape. Sooner or later she will be placed on a work detail or given ‘ground privileges” and the present problem will again have to be met. Nor do I see any obstacle in her being declared legally sane and being released.

Therefore my recommendation is that this matter be handled as a legal procedure and not as a psychiatric problem.”

She was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison Erickson was correct when he predicted that she would gain status as a trustee and then run away. The Arizona Republic covers the stories of her two escapes from prison in 1975. Once she was captured within an hour and on the other occasion she fled to Indiana.