People with serious mental illness may become homeless because:
(1) hospitals for the mentally ill have been closed
(2) it is difficult to get them admitted to a psychiatric hospital
(3) they are unable to live with their families
(4) they have no resources
(5) they are mentally ill
Someone who is homeless may commit a variety of crimes:
(1) vagrancy
(2) theft to survive
(3) trespassing
(4) physical assault
(5) panhandling
People in society may react negatively to someone who is mentally ill:
(1) citizens may complain because they are frightened by the person's behavior
(2) police have to deal with the person repeatedly with no end in sight
Advocates for the mentally ill can exacerbate the problem by encouraging the person not to take medications that might otherwise allow the person to function.
The end result is that someone who is mentally ill may end up in a prison because there is no other place for them to be. In prison they may not have access to appropriate care and they may be surrounded by violent people who are easily offended.
