Letters to the Editor: This is why the ACLU opposes Gov. Newsom’s CARE Courts

To the editor: Columnist Anita Chabria gets one point right: “We are all heartsick with the endless suffering on our streets, angry and frustrated with a problem that seems to be growing exponentially worse despite countless political promises to fix it.� (“California’s most famous homeless man is dead. His life should guide CARE Court,� column, Feb. 2)

The unmet need for safe, affordable housing and effective mental health services amounts to a humanitarian crisis. But an endorsement of the so-called CARE Court program, which involves subjecting people to court-ordered treatment, is dangerous and delusional.

As studies have shown, adding a court order to a treatment plan is not more effective than high-quality voluntary services and housing. Our real problem is a statewide shortage of these essential resources.

The state and its counties should focus on replenishing our supply of voluntary mental health services and safe, subsidized affordable housing. Establishing a new court system will do nothing to address these shortages while rolling back the civil rights of community members in the most vulnerable circumstances.

Eve Garrow, Orange

The writer is a senior policy analyst and advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.