| Deinstitutionalization was widely decried in conservative circles by the '80s, and some steps were taken to curtail the baneful effects, but it is, in fact, true that the ACLU fought tooth and nail for the autonomy model of those with severe mental disturbances. This partly reflected an alliance of radical liberationist, liberal, and libertarian elements. The libertarian theories of Thomas Szasz ("The Myth of Mental Illness") were widely circulated; the Foucaultian perspective of romanticizing deviance and criticizing institutional constraints as mere oppressions filtered into the Left; and the liberal idea of "least restrictive environments" for those who needed help, requiring much more spending and manpower in order to mainstream with any hope of success, all took their toll. All of those who could be managed with medication ended up on their own, or, at least, in halfway houses that were often poorly staffed and supervised. Of course, many of those could not be trusted to take their medication, or were not fully functional even with it....... |
