California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that makes it easier for authorities to compel treatment for people with mental illness or addiction issues. The proposal is partly aimed at addressing the state’s growing homelessness crisis.
I agree with you, except free housing should be available without conditions. Isn’t the threat of homelessness just another form of coercion? Americans have more than enough existing housing and food production to provide for everyone. We force artificial scarcity into both markets to preserve profits, because it’s harder to raise rents when a free option exists.
Mental health and addiction are both medical problems. Trust is always an important part of medical treatment, but trust runs both ways. Can we trust people with those issues to seek treatment on their own? Doesn’t society have a compelling interest in treating their conditions?
I’m not advocating for the police to start rounding up homeless people and dumping them in overburdened psych hospitals. I’m not even advocating for this law. We need far better treatment options, healthcare in general, and economic reform before we should ever expect to address homelessness and mental health. I just don’t think we should take anything off the table when it comes to ensuring people get treatment. Force might work for some people. It might make things worse for others. The goal, however, is worthy of discussion and the methods cannot be dismissed out of hand.
In my experience force doesn’t work very well for actually treating people. It works well to protect society. And short holds can create a situation for someone needing help to seek it in the future (because they didn’t kill themselves or someone else.)
But as a means of getting people help that’s going to improve their mental capacity, it generally doesn’t help most people. It can help society and if it’s used as an alternative to prisons and jails, that’s an improvement.
My fear is that it will actually further stigmatize mental illness, and force people into the shadows. When using incentives could be a far superior option.
Plus, low income housing with a few staffed social workers is far cheaper for tax payers than prisons and jails.
I agree with you, except free housing should be available without conditions. Isn’t the threat of homelessness just another form of coercion? Americans have more than enough existing housing and food production to provide for everyone. We force artificial scarcity into both markets to preserve profits, because it’s harder to raise rents when a free option exists.
Mental health and addiction are both medical problems. Trust is always an important part of medical treatment, but trust runs both ways. Can we trust people with those issues to seek treatment on their own? Doesn’t society have a compelling interest in treating their conditions?
I’m not advocating for the police to start rounding up homeless people and dumping them in overburdened psych hospitals. I’m not even advocating for this law. We need far better treatment options, healthcare in general, and economic reform before we should ever expect to address homelessness and mental health. I just don’t think we should take anything off the table when it comes to ensuring people get treatment. Force might work for some people. It might make things worse for others. The goal, however, is worthy of discussion and the methods cannot be dismissed out of hand.
I agree mostly with what you’re saying.
In my experience force doesn’t work very well for actually treating people. It works well to protect society. And short holds can create a situation for someone needing help to seek it in the future (because they didn’t kill themselves or someone else.)
But as a means of getting people help that’s going to improve their mental capacity, it generally doesn’t help most people. It can help society and if it’s used as an alternative to prisons and jails, that’s an improvement.
My fear is that it will actually further stigmatize mental illness, and force people into the shadows. When using incentives could be a far superior option.
Plus, low income housing with a few staffed social workers is far cheaper for tax payers than prisons and jails.