ABSTRACT
Across the United States, many states and communities have faced prob
lems-real or perceived-associated with deinstitutionalization (see, for
example, Bardach 1977). “Deinstitutionalization” refers to the process by
which the primary treatment responsibility for the mentally disabled is
transferred from mental health hospitals-often operated by state govern
ments-to service providers in community-based settings. Deinstitutional
ization is a complicated policy that encompasses the efforts of many
agencies and programs. This case study relates one state’s efforts to in
crease its knowledge and understanding for policy action in this arena
through primarily exploratory policy research.* The research represents a
panoply of research methods, including quantitative descriptive tech
niques and more qualitative and less-structured data collection efforts.
