Involuntary mental health treatment.
It can be dangerous to give governments carte blanche to do this...
> Sluggish schizophrenia or slow progressive schizophrenia was a diagnostic category used in the Soviet Union to describe what was claimed to be a form of schizophrenia characterized by a slowly progressive course; it was diagnosed even in patients who showed no symptoms of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, on the assumption that these symptoms would appear later. The diagnosis has long been discredited because of its scientific inadequacy and its use as a means of confining dissenters. It is considered a prime example of the political abuse of psychiatry in the Soviet Union.
We should strive to have compassion for the homeless and ill, not imprison them.
It's a nice thought, and should probably be an option, but it won't be sufficient on its own, I don't think.
Would it surprise you to learn that many with severe mental illnesses do not voluntarily undergo treatment? A friend worked in a job training and support program, first with chronically homeless, and then with mentally disabled specifically. The single biggest obstacle most faced was their own unwillingness to accept or stick with treatment.
The homeless in particular that this friend worked with were untrusting of any program that might potentially hinder their autonomy- so they would show up for the free bus cards, food and job training, but any hint of medical support and they would disappear for fear of being taken off the street and locked up.
Most, given the choice between jail or treatment, would choose jail, simply because there was a defined time period that they would get their freedom back, plus no pills.