O'Connor v. Donaldson and Deinstitutionalization

A description of the case of O'Connor v. Donaldson and how this occurrence was an injustice upon his liberty. 

The deinstitutionalization movement started in the 1950s as a way to stop the inhumane practices occurring in mental hospitals as well as try to introduce many patients with severe mental illnesses into society. While this process seems favorable in writing, the actuality of taking these people out of mental hospitals rarely integrates them successfully into society. Before deinstitutionalization started, many patients in these facilities met with doctors on a regular basis, giving them routine and care. They were also provided with work, helping them maintain a sense of purpose while working on their treatment. Taking away these resources and helpful practices leave the patient without care and may result in them harming themselves or others. This movement further posed questions on the admittance of patients to facilities like in the O’Connor v. Donaldson case. Florida State Hospital admitted Kenneth Donaldson, a paranoid schizophrenic, in 1957 and continued to hold him for the next fifteen years. He received little treatment as he refused electroshock treatments and medication. Donaldson reportedly was of sound mind to an extent and not a danger to those around him. In the court case, the jury found that this was an injustice of his liberty because he had care outside of the hospital with his father. These findings pose the question of when mandatory treatment is necessary and led to the mandatory hospitalization only of mentally ill people who pose a threat to others. This decision is beneficial for Donaldson, however, it has lead to many mental health patients unable to find the care they need as they are not deemed a threat. Without these aforementioned resources, mentally ill patients find themselves in trouble with the law or homeless, bringing up the question of whether or not these hospitals are a necessity for severely mentally ill patients. 

"O'Connor v. Donaldson." Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/1974/74-8. Accessed 19 Nov. 2019.

“Dangerousness Standard: O'Connor v. Donaldson Case Summary.” Mental Illness Policy Org., mentalillnesspolicy.org/legal/survive-safely-oconnor-donaldson.html.

Yohanna, Daniel. “Deinstitutionalization of People with Mental Illness: Causes and Consequences.” Journal of Ethics | American Medical Association, American Medical Association, 1 Oct. 2013, journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/deinstitutionalization-people-mental-illness-causes-and-consequences/2013-10.

Roberts, Stephen D. “O'Connor v. Donaldson: One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest.” Law Journal Library, vol. 37, 1976, pp. 227–227.