> We don't lock up mentally ill people anymore in California because "patient rights"

Sure we do. That's what prisons are for. Because that's the only reliable offering for folks with chronic mental health needs.

Going past that: If patient rights weren't a factor, nothing would change. Long-term, inpatient mental healthcare is an impossibility for most folks who need it.

source: 25 years of marriage to spouse who needed long-term, inpatient treatment but is now homeless instead.