I'm aware of the problems the system had back then.Yes. The problems that we have now can be traced back to the 70's
Many do not recall what it was like back then.
Cannot recall the name of the order where a person how no chance but to be locked up. Lieutenant Governors order comes to mind. I recall a case where a man was locked up for decades as no one could understand him. A staff member from a very small ethnic minority heard him talking and it was the same language her Grandmother spoke. They got an interpreter and he was was released. Imagine the torment that man went thru.
But as with most kneejerk overhauls, it went to far in the opposite direction.
The only people that need to be locked up, are those that pose an immediate threat to themselves or the public, and/or unmanageable with meds.