The courts had almost nothing to do with ending asylum for the seriously mentally ill.
It was Congress, encouraged by JFK, who enacted a presumption for treatment in nonexistent community facilities,
Wasn’t JFK’s sister lobotomized?
“Wasn’t JFK’s sister lobotomized?”
That is common knowledge.
The states were hugely in favor of closing asylums to save money and trouble*.
*They were often poorly maintained and inadequately run. Target often deservedly so for class action law suits.
Yes I think that’s true.
“The courts had almost nothing to do with ending asylum for the seriously mentally ill.”
Several landmark court decisions severely restricted the ability of states to confine individuals against their will, acting as a major legal force behind the shrinking of asylum populations:
Lake v. Cameron (1966): A D.C. Court of Appeals case that established the concept of the “least restrictive setting,” requiring that patients be placed in the least restrictive environment available, rather than automatically in a hospital.
O’Connor v. Donaldson (1975): The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a state cannot constitutionally confine a non-dangerous individual who is capable of surviving safely in freedom by themselves or with the help of family/friends. This legally ended the practice of “warehousing” people with mental illness simply because they were in need of care.
Olmstead v. L.C. (1999): The Supreme Court ruled that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), people with mental disabilities have the right to receive care in community-based treatment settings rather than institutions whenever possible.