Abstract for: Deinstitutionalization and the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act

The combined effect of deinstitutionalization of mental health patients and California's Lanterman-Petris-Short Act contributed to a dramatic increase in untreated severe mental illness (SMI) patients in the community. This work-in-progress paper suggests that the influence of these two policies hinder and intervene in ways that prevents SMIs from getting the care that they require.