The New York Times cites an article in the American Journal of Psychiatry, on the savings realized by forced outpatient treatment, as evidence that programs such as New York’s Kendra’s law “work.” The article states that “In the shadow of the massacres in Newtown, Conn.; Aurora, Colo.; and Tucson, programs like these are drawing renewed attention — even though people who commit such crimes are not always those who would qualify for measures like Kendra’s Law.”
Swanson, J., Van Dorn, R., Schwarz, M., et al.; The Cost of Assisted Outpatient Treatment: Can It Save States Money? American Journal of Psychiatry. Online July 30, 2013