Comment on We have had guns for 200 years but mass shootings only became common in the last 30. So what changed?
zepheriths@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The US defunded mental health hospitals.
It is a lot more complicated than that. There are strong cultural reasons we defunded them but in essence they had become so toxic it was best to close them.
The plan was to close the horrific, abusive insane asylums and replace them with community mental health centers.
Then neoliberals got into power and said “nah, I dont think so” to that second part.
So now our most mentally unwell people live their lives in prison and on the streets.
Doomsider@lemmy.world 8 months ago
It is a lot more complicated than that. There are strong cultural reasons we defunded them but in essence they had become so toxic it was best to close them.
Krono@lemmy.today 8 months ago
The plan was to close the horrific, abusive insane asylums and replace them with community mental health centers.
Then neoliberals got into power and said “nah, I dont think so” to that second part.
So now our most mentally unwell people live their lives in prison and on the streets.