Introduction
One of the ways the government responds to various social problems is through the development of public policies. For example, the scaling of the homelessness problem has created the need for specific laws and strategies to address this issue. However, for an approach to be effective, it needs to be carefully analyzed from different angles. Therefore, in this paper, through rational decision-making models, public policy regarding the mandatory treatment of homeless individuals for mental health conditions and substance dependencies will be analyzed.
Current Policy Analysis
Public policy analysis allows one to collect additional information about the problem, which enables policymakers to address it effectively. A rational decision-making model includes identifying problems, setting goals and objectives, developing alternative solutions, and evaluating them (Kraft & Furlong, 2021). This approach helps to collect the maximum amount of data to select the optimal solution for the problem. In this case, the main problem is the spread of homeless people with various mental disorders, which pose a threat to society.
Moreover, Drabiak (2023) argues that the deterioration of people’s psychological state is often due to both homelessness and drug and alcohol abuse. That leads to increased crime and threatens the community’s safety. Therefore, the solution to this problem requires intervention from the government and the development and implementation of appropriate public policies.
Alternatives
There may be several alternatives to this problem. One option is to develop a public policy to inform the public about the problems of homelessness and related diseases. Such an approach could involve community services in helping to solve this problem. However, it should be borne in mind that direct interaction with the homeless may pose an additional danger to others, so the use of this alternative is very limited.
Another option is to provide homeless people access to health services to assess their condition and determine treatment. This approach is used in many states, but its effect is limited because people often refuse to seek medical attention independently (Drabiak, 2023). Therefore, current public policy often uses the third alternative. It consists of the compulsory treatment of the homeless for mental disorders and addictions (Drabiak, 2023). However, this approach has many ethical considerations.
Ethical Violations
The main ethical issues associated with involuntary hospitalization to treat mental disorders include violations of human rights and freedoms. The position against this public policy can be argued by the fact that such actions of the government demonstrate their desire not to solve the problem by dealing with it but to hide it from the public. However, finding causes and addressing them is one of the key challenges for policymakers (Kraft & Furlong, 2021).
Moreover, this policy requires a lot of funding and resources. In particular, this requires investment in the operation of psychiatric institutions and the creation of more places for patients there (Bloomberg, 2023). Moreover, this problem requires addressing its causes, namely reducing the growth in the number of homeless people, for example, through community housing services.
Conclusion
Thus, addressing the problems of homelessness, mental illness, and addiction does require government action. However, the public policy on involuntary treatment, which is gaining popularity today, has many nuances regarding the ethics of such actions and the resources required. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to solve the problem of the spread of homelessness and provide housing services for people who need it. However, involuntary hospitalization can be used in cases where a person cannot make decisions about their treatment due to a mental disorder.
References
Bloomberg. (2023). Tackling homelessness requires new resources. The Washington Post. Web.
Drabiak, K. (2023). The ethical dilemmas behind plans for involuntary treatment to target homelessness, mental illness and addiction. The Conversation. Web.
Kraft, M. E., & Furlong, S. R. (2021). Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives. CQ Press.
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