GET EXPERT OPINION

These were some of the facts heard last night by more than 2,000 persons who filed into Massey Hall to attend The Star Citizens' Forum on Sex Offenders. They had come to get expert opinion on a subject which for so long has been shrouded in ignorance and misunderstanding. Many in the audience were among the thousands who wrote to The Star during the past week asking urgent questions about the problem of dealing with sex offenders.

The answers were delivered by four experts: Dr. Kenneth Gray of Toronto Psychiatric hospital; Dr. Fred Van Nostrand, chief of neurological services of Ontario's department of reform institutions; Dr. Ralph Brancale, director of New Jersey's diagnostic centre for sex offenders,

macher, chief medical officer of the and Dr. Manfred Gutt-

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supreme bench in Balti-

TEAR DOWN OBSTRUCTIONS

With more than 100 years of experience in handling sex offenders, they tore down many of the obstructions that have surrounded the subject for years and paved the way for a constructive, rational approach to the problem of sex offenders. Here are the questions put by the chairman, Edson L. Haines, and their answers:

How is the sex deviate discovered? Must he display misconduct in sexual matters? Or can he be discovered before he misconducts himself? Dr. Van Nostrand: Most sex deviates are never discovered. Most of them never appear in courts or in psychiatrists' offices. Usually they are discovered only when they are charged with a sex crime. A psychologist has no way of telling if a patient is a sex deviate.

If a man is a sex deviate, is it probable he will commit an attack on women and children? Dr. Gray: No. Only a very small proportion ever will.

Can a man be a sex deviate and otherwise perform the duties of a normal citizen? Dr. Van Nostrand: Yes. Sex deviates can be found in all walks of life. Many are prominent men. Usually their discovery provides a great shock to their unsuspecting friends and neighbors.

Can a sex deviate be cured? If so, how? Dr. Brancale: The word "cured" should not be used. A better word is "treat." By probing the depths of their feelings, these people can give a psychiatrist an indication of what is behind their abnormality. The results so far have been promising.

Not Enough Jails

In what percentage of cases is the offence of the sex deviate his first offence? Dr. Brancale: Of 2.000 sex offenders examined at the New Jersey centre in the

past five years. 48 per cent. showed no previous record. The record of repetition was usually most pronounced among exhibitionists and men who molested children.

If all known sex deviates were

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