The Thomas S. case: report on progress with court compliance issues.
The present paper is a brief summary of the progress which has been made in the Thomas S. case, a U.S. Federal Court lawsuit The suit focused on adults with intellectual disability who had been inappropriately placed in state psychiatric hospitals in conditions which violated their constitutional rights. These constitutional rights include safety, protection from harm, treatment under safe conditions, freedom from undue restraint, and minimally adequate habilitation or treatment The present report summarizes the progress made by the 239 class members after they had received a Thomas S. service plan for 6-24 months. Overall, the results suggest that the class members have made significant progress in several areas. Two areas needing continued attention are the challenging behaviours of some class members and their lack of employment opportunities.
Dudley
J R
JR
Thomas S. Longitudinal Research Project, University of North Carolina at Charlotte 28223, USA. jrdudley@email.uncc.edu
Conroy
J W
JW
Calhoun
M L
ML
D000328:Adult; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003688:Deinstitutionalization / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006783:Hospitals, State / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D014481:United States