Ra. Catalano et W. Mcconnell, A TIME-SERIES TEST OF THE QUARANTINE THEORY OF INVOLUNTARY COMMITMENT, Journal of health and social behavior, 37(4), 1996, pp. 381-387
Persons believed to be mentally ill and imminently violent are often s
ubjected to coerced treatment. Among the justifications for this pract
ice is the argument that removing such people from the community is an
alogous to quarantine. We test the quarantine theory using daily data
from San Francisco. Results suggest that the incidence of coerced trea
tment of males is inversely related to assaults and batteries by males
one day later. The finding implies that persons who are involuntarily
committed are at elevated risk of violent behavior. The implications
of the findings for the prevention of assaultive behavior are briefly
described.