I'm not saying it's justified at all. I'm not saying that I know what the solution is. I'm saying that these are all expressions of the same underlying set of a

I'm not saying it's justified at all. I'm not saying that I know what the solution is. I'm saying that these are all expressions of the same underlying set of attitudes rather than merely being poor policy. The reason there aren't 24/7 protests outside mental hospitals and politicians of every stripe calling for radical reform of the mental health system is the same reason that city councils pass "sit-lie" and "anti-camping" laws instead of providing needed services to the homeless. At a societal level, the desire is largely to make these people just go away, or at least to approximate that by keeping them so beaten down that they're afraid to engage in any noticeable behavior. Lip service is sometimes given to fundamental rights and humane treatment, but the attitude expressed by the behavior of our institutions is often closer to animal control than to a welfare system. When it comes to the mentally ill, the average person seemingly doesn't know the difference between treatment and abuse, and might not even care to know. As long as there's any room for doubt and someone with the right letters after their name says "it's for their own good", the conscience goes back to sleep.