“ Milledgeville, Georgia is the home of what was the world’s largest mental hospital,”
I grew up in the 70s/80s in GA and I remember teachers saying that old teachers retired to Milledgeville. It took me years to get that joke because I didn’t know about the mental hospital at the time.
The Milledgeville facility was still operating when I was a youngster - at least into the late 1950s. The State still operates mental health facilities around the state. There was one in Augusta when I moved away in 2006. There are strict requirements that must be met before a patient is involuntarily confined. Abuse is not common although I remember some family complaints in Augusta. I suspect most states have laws similar to Georgia's regarding involuntary confinement. They should be put to use more often.
FYI, Georgia also had a large facility for TB patients in Alto, near where I grew up. I do not think all patents were there voluntarily. It was converted to a youth prison facility and later became Lee Arrendale women's prison.
It's still operating, but at a much smaller scale. I didn't know the history behind Lee Arrendale women's prison (a terrible place), thank you for that tidbit.
“ Milledgeville, Georgia is the home of what was the world’s largest mental hospital,”
I grew up in the 70s/80s in GA and I remember teachers saying that old teachers retired to Milledgeville. It took me years to get that joke because I didn’t know about the mental hospital at the time.
The Milledgeville facility was still operating when I was a youngster - at least into the late 1950s. The State still operates mental health facilities around the state. There was one in Augusta when I moved away in 2006. There are strict requirements that must be met before a patient is involuntarily confined. Abuse is not common although I remember some family complaints in Augusta. I suspect most states have laws similar to Georgia's regarding involuntary confinement. They should be put to use more often.
FYI, Georgia also had a large facility for TB patients in Alto, near where I grew up. I do not think all patents were there voluntarily. It was converted to a youth prison facility and later became Lee Arrendale women's prison.
It's still operating, but at a much smaller scale. I didn't know the history behind Lee Arrendale women's prison (a terrible place), thank you for that tidbit.