Deinstitutionalization worked well for those with less serious mental disorders who could afford treatment but not well at all for the poor or the more serious cases. The idea was that the patients would be treated just as effectively in private care. Unfortunately that never happen for many. Today, there are walking time bombs just waiting to be set off in all our major cities.When Ronald Reagan was president in the 1980s, he cut funding for federal housing programs while at the same time many states closed mental institutions.
Liberals were in favor of deinstitutionalization.