Pennhurst: Department of Public Welfare

As part of the federally funded Pennhurst Longitudinal Study, HSRI prepared yearly Implementation Analyses that focused on specific issues and actors.  The third of these analyses was an analysis of the steps taken by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare – both legally and programmatically – to respond to the federal court requirements to close Pennhurst State Center.  The analysis reviews the political and financial context within which officials at DPW were operating, as well as the various legal strategies adopted.