Camarillo State Hospital, Camarillo, California, located in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles...Closed it`s doors in 1997 due to President Reagan`s policy of de-institutionalization and has since been converted into a state university...The hospital first opened in 1936 and has a very infamous history of abuse and patient neglect and torture...Several movie stars have been committed here, including Francis Gifford, Bela Lugosi (self-commitment), Lauren Chapin, of "Father`s Knows Best" 1950`s TV series (for only a year, or so, however), Charlie Parker, the jazz musician, Tony Curtis` brother, Bruce Tate, who was one of the members of "The Penguins" of Earth Angel fame...The Eagles song, "Hotel California" is about Camarillo State Hospital, "You can check in, but you can never leave"..How true that was...Once committed, the state of California is your guardian until they say otherwise...you can try to run away but you will be hounded, and be a fugitive just the same as though you escaped from prison, only you will no longer be a citizen of the United States with all your citizenship rights having been stripped away from you when you were committed and you made a ward of the state..And you were declared incompetent and insane and no longer responsible for your actions...This is what it means to be committed to a state institution... And back in the 1950`s and 60`s this could very easily be done...All it takes is a few signatures on a petiton for mental illness and a psychiatrist`s signature and you are on your way to Camarillo and your stay is indefinate and an undetermined sentence...If you had committed murder, at least you would get a definate sentence and a chance of parole, but not if you are declared incompetent...forget that!...Back, say like in 1960 or thereabouts, if your next door neighbor didn`t like your looks, or something of that nature, well, he could simply get rid of you by having you committed, but a lot has changed since those days..It`s not as easy now-a-days...But back then, it was a booming business...Want someone out of the way....Have them committed...Safe and simple...."Out of sight...Out of mind".....And once you are committed, then you are subjected to all sorts of barbaric tortures, such as electro-shock therapy, forced drugging, beatings, cruel and unusual punishment, forced incarceration, neglect, rape and the list goes on and on...This former state hospital is also said to haunted, and very much so, with numerous sightings, which would be expected from all the torture and inhumane treatment that went on there, and also murders that were never reported, or covered-up by the staff...You would not be sent to Camarillo in order to get help of any kind, but rather to get you out of one of your relative`s way, or something of that nature...The only treatment you can expect to receive is "a kick in the ass" or some other form of cruelty, or just get "the shit kicked out of you", but don`t expect any form of help of any kind because, after all, that was not the reason you were sent there in the first place, but only to get rid of you because you were in somebody`s way....

Please click on photo for larger image...