The first year of operation under the new Patuxent law.

To summarize briefly, it can be said that the new Patuxent admissions are approximately in the same age range, but more often black and from urban areas. The seriousness of their crimes is significantly higher than in the old Patuxent population. It may be said with some assurance that the change of the law has been a positive step towards making the Patuxent Institution a more treatment-oriented place, since there is no more mandatory indeterminate incarceration of persons unwilling to participate in the program. On the other hand, a number of persons who could eventually be reached by the prolonged stay at the Institution under the indeterminate sentence are now lost to the treatment process and they will be eventually released as potentially dangerous persons into society.