People v. Purves

Defense counsel, on arraignment, objected to the court’s (1) ordering defendant to submit to an examination for possible drug addiction and (2) to the court’s remanding defendant to jail for such purpose.

Decision was reserved in order to allow a full study of the problem. The court has heretofore followed a practice of remanding for examination pursuant to section 207 of the Mental Hygiene Law in the first instance in some cases.

Experience has shown that immediate examination at the jail is impossible and a defendant may be held as long as five days for the examination and report.

The defense…