Since the 1960s, our country has seen a shift in the treatment of the mentally ill

Since the 1960s, our country has seen a shift in the treatment of the mentally ill. In an effort to reduce the number of patients in mental hospitals, the federal government deinstitutionalized this population and directed them back into the community. Fifty years later, many who were once directed to mental hospitals are now being “treated” in our prisons and jails. Discuss the societal impact of such a shift and how this happened. What are the pros and cons of deinstitutionalizing our mentally ill? .