A primary factor contributing to the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill in most States was the high cost of their institutionalization. Community-based services were viewed as less expensive, more humane alternatives; however, deinstitutionalization was not followed by the establishment of a coordinated, comprehensive system of community care designed to serve all types of mentally ill persons. A particularly problematic subgroup of mentally ill persons are those who seldom or never have contact with mental health care or social programs necessary for daily survival. They are likely to be homeless and on the streets, where they almost certainly will encounter the police. This visible subgroup of the mentally ill is accelerating the community's demand for policymakers to remove them from the streets. This has led to a wave of reform to broaden civil commitment laws, a trend that parallels the past. Such a trend should be resisted in favor of a greater financial and planning commitment to community-based services tailored to various subgroups of the mentally ill. 42 references.