The question feels very complex when framed like in the article. In reality I think it's two separate but connected questions that society should be able to answer based on its dominant values.
1. Do we have and enforce laws about things like people setting up tent cities in neighborhoods, open air drug use, public defecation and attacking pedestrians.
Your politics can determine how you feel about this. My personal take is that yes we should have and enforce such laws.
2. What do we do when people are violating these laws due to mental illness? Do we just prosecute them and lock them up in regular jail or do we institutionalize and treat them like the mentally ill?
To me it seems like treating mentally ill transgressors as such is right. The alternative to treat them like regular criminals seem worse.
I think most people can follow this kind of argument. The real debate is around the first point, where do we draw the line about legal and illegal behavior.
1. Do we have and enforce laws about things like people setting up tent cities in neighborhoods, open air drug use, public defecation and attacking pedestrians.
Your politics can determine how you feel about this. My personal take is that yes we should have and enforce such laws.
2. What do we do when people are violating these laws due to mental illness? Do we just prosecute them and lock them up in regular jail or do we institutionalize and treat them like the mentally ill?
To me it seems like treating mentally ill transgressors as such is right. The alternative to treat them like regular criminals seem worse.
I think most people can follow this kind of argument. The real debate is around the first point, where do we draw the line about legal and illegal behavior.