Connecticut & Oregon Shootings and the Deinstitutionalization of the Mentally Ill

After the Aurora, CO shootings last summer, we did a post here about a book, My Brother Ron, that had just been published by our old friend, Clayton Cramer. My Brother Ron tells the story of the movement to deinnstitutionalize the mentally ill in this country. This disastrous social experiment has brought turmoil and violence to our communities as thousands who should be institutionalized were turned loose on the streets of our cities.

There is also a deeply moving personal context to this book: Clayton's older brother, the "Ron" of the title, is schizophrenic and has been living on the streets for decades.

Through My Brother Ron, Clayton Cramer has made an important contribution to the debate about the treatment and housing of the mentally ill, and the prevention of violence in our communities, for which gun control is not the answer. In the light of these two new shootings, I recommend this book to you.

Update: Here's a link to an article on this general subject by Clayton published last May by the Federalist Society.