Winfred Overholser, Superintendent, St. Elizabeths Hospital v. Robert Stanley Russell

In October, 1958, Robert Stanley Russell was committed to St. Elizabeths Hospital, a mental institution, under § 24-301(d), D.C.Code (1951, as amended August 9, 1955), after a jury before which he was tried on two criminal charges had found him not guilty by reason of insanity.

By a petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed January 12, 1960, he sought to establish his eligibility for either unconditional or conditional release under § 24-301.1

He alleged he suffers from a nervous disorder for which he is being given a mild tranquilizer and psychotherapy, both of which could be administered out*197s…