Subjects consisted of all persons found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) between November 1975 and January 1, 1984, in British Columbia. Additionally, 30 subjects already adjudicated NGRI prior to the formation of the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission in 1975 and transferred to the Forensic Psychiatric Institute were included. Data were obtained on forensic history, hospitalization, and outpatient history. The length of confinement in a mental institution was related to the type of original charge but not to the level of psychopathology. Persons charged with murder, for example, spent an average of 71.9 months in the forensic facility, compared to a mean for the entire sample of 49.9 months, even though the extensive data on psychopathology did not indicate they were significantly more disturbed than other acquittees. The authors argue for a long period of close community supervision and outpatient mental health services and a short period of inpatient hospitalization. The money saved by such a policy should then be reallocated to other aspects of the forensic mental health system that target severely mentally disordered persons at risk for committing serious crimes. 6 tables, 51 references.