State Mental Hospitals: What Happens When They Close

The 1970s constitute the decade of decisions about state mental hospi­ tals! These large, monolithic, and seemingly impervious institutions are being phased out in some states and their basic purpose for exis­ tence is being seriously questioned in almost all others. Since 1970, hospitals have closed in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma, Washington, and Wisconsin. Simi­ lar closings have occurred in several provinces of Canada, in Great Britain, an...