SD22 - Report of the Commission on Deinstitutionalization

  • Published: 1986
  • Author: General Assembly and Special Commission
  • Enabling Authority: Senate Joint Resolution 42 (Regular Session, 1984)

Executive Summary:
The Commission on Deinstitutionalization held its last meeting on December 3, 1985. At that time, certain members concurred with the conclusions and recommendations of the Commission (as described in the report following this document), but felt that a greater degree of specificity was needed to guide the General Assembly and the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation in actions to address difficult problems associated with our service delivery system for the mentally disabled.

Further, we do not believe that all areas have been fully addressed by the Commission. Over the course of four public hearings, extensive testimony by staff of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), and presentations by the Department, it became clear to us that legislative action was needed concerning a wide variety of issues.

For these reasons, we have written a "concurring majority" report to be published in tandem with the final report of the Commission.

This report draws heavily on the work of JLARC which provided research and technical assistance to the Commission over the past two years. We believe strongly that JLARC staff have accurately documented the status of deinstitutionalization in Virginia and we endorse many of the recommendations made by that agency as expressed in the following report.

We offer this report and its recommendations with the hope that this effort will significantly improve the quality of life, training and treatment afforded mentally handicapped Virginians.