E. R. Johnstone Training and Research Center

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The E.R. Johnstone Training and Research Center was a mental institution in Bordentown, New Jersey that housed people with developmental disability. It was posthumously named in honor of Edward R. Johnstone. The building was damaged in a 1983 fire. Herman H. Spitz was director until he retired in 1989. It was operated by the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities until its closure in 1992.

Johnstone became the first large institution shut down by the state amid controversy over whether institutional residents could survive in a community setting. Follow-up quality of life information was collected about 225 former residents, and they were found to have fared better in group homes or supervised apartments than residents sent to other hospitals. Those who moved into community-based housing were more likely to get jobs, ride public transportation, go to restaurants and otherwise integrate into society. The study has been cited as an example of the benefits of deinstitutionalization.

[edit] References

United Press International (July 8, 1983). Fire Damages Building at State Home in New Jersey.

• Staff report (January 22, 1998). Study Shows That Some Do Better in Group Homes. New York Times
• Apgar DH, Cook S, Lerman P. Life After Johnstone: Impacts on Consumer Competencies, Behaviors, and Quality of Life. (PDF)