Jan was a child care worker in the Adolescent Ward at the Yorkwood Center, which was located on the grounds of the Ypsilanti State Hospital. After three years at Yorkwood in the late 1960s, she moved on to become a Special Education teacher. In the 1970s, Jan also operated one of the early "group homes" for those transitioning out of state institutions.

Don worked as an "Attendant A1" at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane from 1947-51. He left because he was unhappy with the abuse of patients that was happening at that time. Some of Don's descriptions of day-to-day life for the patients and staff at Ionia may be disturbing for some viewers.

Hoyt began working at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane as a guard/attendant in 1948, eventually becoming a supervisor. When hospital was transferred to the Michigan Department of Corrections and became the Riverside Correctional Facility in 1977, he continued to work there for several years until retirement.

Raymond is the building and renovation contractor responsible for turning the old Traverse City State Hospital into the "Village at Grand Traverse Commons". This mixed-use development has both retail and housing, and is an excellent example of re-purposing historic structures for modern needs.

Deb is a Professor of Sociology and Social Work at Hope College. Her area of expertise is the history of social welfare. She was also a member of the Ottawa County Community Mental Health board for over 10 years.

Gloria Mitchell worked for 32 years as a direct care worker at the Plymouth State Home, the Northville Psychiatric Hospital, and the Walter Reuther Center.

Janice lived on the grounds of the Northville Psychiatric Hospital for the first seven years of her life: there was a small neighborhood at on the grounds of the hospital where doctors and their families lived. At the time that she lived there, she remembers Northville as a new, clean, and modern facility. Janice recalls that she and her siblings were never told anything negative about the patients that were there.

Victor and Mary Ann got married before they started working at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Victor started working there in 1964 and left just before the hospital closed and transitioned into the Riverside Correctional Facility. Mary Ann started in 1965 and worked until the hospital closed, then worked an additional 14 years at Riverside.

Dr. Decker worked for Michigan Dept. of Mental Health for over 30 years, including 13 years as the Medical Superintendent at the Kalamazoo State Hospital. He has written three books on the subject of Michigan State Hospitals.

Barbara was a 19 year-old nursing student at the Northville State Hospital, and it seemed a bit scary to her. A few years later, she happened to purchase a house across the street from the hospital and a walkaway patient attempted to break into her house through one of the basement windows.

Mike Gallagher was the Associate Director of Nursing at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He has also been a Board Member of Ionia Community Mental Health Services, a member of the Ionia County Historical Society, and a longtime Ionia resident.

Celia Hill worked as a direct care worker at the Plymouth State Home, the Southgate Center, the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center, and the Northville Psychiatric Hospital. She retired as a supervisor after more than 30 years of working in State institutions.

Bob Lathers' experience with mental health care in Michigan began at Child and Family Services of Michigan (formerly the Michigan Children's Aid Society), working on community placement for the children at the Arnell Engstrom School on the grounds of the Traverse City State Hospital. He eventually made his way to Lansing where he worked for a lobbying group from 1994-2001 that helped the administration of Michigan Governor John Engler to close some of the remaining State-run institutions. More recently, he worked as Chief Executive Officer of The Right Door for Hope, Recovery and Wellness (formerly Ionia County Community Mental Health) from 2001-2018. His father was a patient at Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane and the Traverse City State Hospital.

Bruce is the author of “Asylum: Pontiac’s Grand Monument from the Gilded Age”. He was also a Director of the Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society.

Jon, Carl, and Jerry all played basketball with the patients at Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane when they were in high school. It was not unusual at the time for members of the public to have these kinds of interactions with the patients. Jon also went on to work at the Caro State Hospital.

David is a lifelong Ionia resident and has also been a member of the Ionia Historical Society. Long ago, he played a rock concert in the gym at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He has an interesting perspective on the town of Ionia and on how society treats the mentally ill.

Richard was committed to the Coldwater State Home and Training School by his parents in 1956. After 15 years as a resident at Coldwater, he was placed in a group home in the Grand Rapids area. Richard later went on to work as a mail carrier for the State of Michigan in Lansing and has been an advocate for the developmentally disabled in Michigan.

Mark wrote his Master’s Thesis on the transference of the former Kalamazoo State Hospital farming properties to Western Michigan University. He explains the reasons for the decline of the farming operations at the State Hospitals.

For 20 years, Liz Bauer was Executive Director of MPAS (Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service), the federally and State mandated rights protection system in Michigan. She was an active participant in furthering the closures of state-run facilities in Michigan and also served on several mental health commissions.

Kate Davis was Director of Training at Northville Psychiatric Hospital for a year in the early 1980s, then went on to work at the Southgate Center for about six years.

In the Fall of 1992, Jason was a second-year student at Wayne State University in Detroit when the nearby Lafayette Clinic was closed. He witnessed the aftermath of this closure firsthand.

Don has been a Clinical Social Worker for several years. He worked at the Traverse City State Hospital for 10 years, and then worked in community mental health in the Traverse City area for 15 years. He was able to witness firsthand the transformation from State Hospitals to community-based treatment.

Maria Marks worked for 31 years in State institutions that served the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill in Michigan: the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center and the Walter Reuther Center.

Bonnie Hoover Jansen was a dietician at the Ypsilanti State Hospital for 13 years until the facility was closed in 1991. She was subsequently transitioned into employment with a community-based agency, but this did not last long.

Darrel worked for the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) for 27 years, working in facilities in Ypsilanti, Monroe, and Adrian. He spent the last 8 years of his career at MDOC working with mentally ill patients in the Residential Treatment Program (RTP) unit of the Gus Harrison Correctional Facility in Adrian, MI.

Lambert began working at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane as a guard/attendant in 1948. When the hospital was transferred to the Michigan Department of Corrections and became the Riverside Correctional Facility in 1977, he continued to work there for a few years until retirement.

Margaret Peters is a retired child-care worker who worked for 33 years in State institutions that served the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill in Michigan: the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center, the Fairlawn Center, and the Hawthorn Center.

In 1965, Pat worked was a child care worker at the Yorkwood Center, which was located on the grounds of the Ypsilanti State Hospital.

James Haveman was Director of the Michigan Department of Mental Health under Governor John Engler and Director of the Michigan Department of Community Health under Governor Rick Snyder.

Sharon Ferraro is the Historic Preservation Coordinator for the Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission. She discusses the historic "Gate Cottage" at the Kalamazoo State Hospital, as well as the history of the hospital itself and its importance to the city of Kalamazoo.

Roger was a Child Care Worker at the Northville Psychiatric Hospital while he worked his way through college. He was trained to administer Thorazine and Halidol to emotionally disturbed adolescents. Roger quit working at Northville after he was attacked from behind by a teenage patient. His grandmother spent her entire life at the Ypsilanti State Hospital, and was later a patient at Northville.

Dr. Sieria began his career with Michigan Dept. of Mental Health as a Psychiatric Attendant Nurse, working out of the Northville Psychiatric Hospital. He spent eight hours a day on the ward getting to know the patients and found this to be a very valuable experience. Dr. Sieria retired after 35 years and held numerous titles and positions, but throughout his entire career his work dealt with the Northville facilities.

Ed's father worked at several State Hospitals in Michigan, so he spent his entire childhood living on the grounds of the Traverse City State Hospital, the Pontiac State Hospital, and the Coldwater State Home. After graduating from college, Ed returned to Coldwater twice to work as a general dentist for a few months.

Two of Germaine's brothers lived at the Northville State Hospital during the 1960s & 70s. She interned at Northville briefly during the period when the State of Michigan started opening community-based group homes and began moving patients out of State Hospitals. Germaine helped transition these clients from the mental hospital environment to the group home environment.

John worked for the Michigan Department of Mental Health as part of the Governor's State Developmental Disabilities Council. This group was trying to move developmentally disabled residents out of institutions and place them into homes in the community. John then went on to work for Muskegon Community Mental Health where he eventually became the Executive Director.

Barbara was a psychologist at Northville Psychiatric Hospital for 12 years. During that time she was part of the first major program to move patients out of the institution and place them into the community. She met her husband in the psychology department at Northville, and together their department fought a long battle for patient’s rights.

Frank was a contractor who helped to build Northville Psychiatric Hospital and later helped to maintain it. He got the contact to work on the water and sewer lines at Northville. After Northville closed, he got the contract to mow the lawns and stop up the tunnels to keep trespassers out.

Sue is a longtime resident of the city of Northville who lived very close to the Northville Psychiatric Hospital. She is an APN (Advanced Practice Nurse) and has taught college courses in psychiatric nursing. As a practicing nurse and educator, Sue was very aware of the changes that were taking place in mental health law and in society both statewide and nationally.

Jesse was an Attendant at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for eight years, working primarily with the Criminal Sexual Psychopaths (CSPs) in Building #11. He is fluent in Spanish and has interesting stories about translating between Spanish and English for patients and staff during psychological examinations.

Starr worked at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for over 20 years and was a "Charge/Attendant" with supervisory responsibilities. He has many insights on daily operations at Ionia and witnessed many changes in the patient population during his time there. Some of Starr's descriptions of day-to-day life for the patients and staff at Ionia may be disturbing for some viewers.

Jean's father was the General Supervisor of the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for over 30 years and her mother was the Night Supervisor of Women's Ward. Like many hospital employees, Jean's parents lived on the hospital grounds and she spent the first ten years of her life growing up at Ionia. As a child, she performed with the patients in hospital plays and orchestral performances.

Dan has been Mayor of Ionia for several years and his father was Mayor for several years as well. Like most lifelong Ionians, he had some interesting interactions with the hospital in his younger years. As someone with significant government and legal experience, Dan also has an informed perspective on the role of government in helping those in need.

Linda has been a member of the Ionia Historical Society for several years and is a lifelong Ionia resident. She is very knowledgeable on the history of the City of Ionia and the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Growing up, Linda had several schoolmates who lived on the hospital grounds with their parents who were employed there.

Over a long career, Oscar worked in administration at the State Hospitals in Caro, Lapeer, Coldwater, and Ionia. For 12 years, he was in charge of all non-medical operations at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, including Grounds, Maintenance, Food Service, Housekeeping, Safety, and Farm Operations.

Eric was in charge of the farm operations at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane until the farm was closed down. After the farm closure, he became the Grounds Superintendent at Ionia. Eric also worked at the Traverse City State Hospital prior to his time at Ionia. He spent the majority of his career "outside", and so didn't see much of what happened inside of the institutions.

When Rodney was a young boy, he would visit the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane often with his father. Using a horse-drawn wagon, he would help his father pick up corn and oats from the hospital's farming operation.

Kathleen's grandmother was Georgia Sargent, a longtime employee at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Georgia wrote many letters to members of the Michigan State House of Representatives and the Michigan State Senate, pleading with them not to close the hospital. While she did receive responses to her letters, ultimately the hospital was closed and transferred to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Joel worked at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for ten years as a Security Attendant and also worked in the medical ward. During his time at Ionia, he earned a reputation as a diligent and thorough employee. Joel shares many insights into day-to-day operations at the hospital, and also shares his opinions about issues facing the mentally ill.

Marilyn's sister (now deceased) was a patient at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Marilyn visited her sister at the hospital, and shares her sister's story.

Mary-Esther worked her way up at the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane during a 33-year career. Starting as a Steno Clerk, she eventually became Secretary to Superintendent PC Robertson's for several years and also served as Secretary to other Medical Superintendents. In addition, she held numerous additional positions in medical records as well as coordinating and liasoning with various courts, other state hospitals, and correctional facilities.

Paul was the Director of the Office of Legal and Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Departmental of Mental Health. In this role, he was directly involved in what was perhaps the most significant revision to Michigan's Mental Health Code: Act 257 of the Public Acts of 1974 as Amended.

Steve is an accomplished local historian with expertise in the northwestern area of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. He has been involved with historical museums and historical societies in the Traverse City and Manistee areas for decades.

Jonas grew up right next to the Traverse City State Hospital property. He spent a lot of time playing with friends and roaming about in the forest adjacent to the grounds of the hospital. Many of Jonas' family members were employed in caring for the mentally ill.

Joanne was the last Director of Nursing at the Traverse City State Hospital prior to its closure. As a child growing up in the Traverse City area, her fascination with the hospital began when her parents would often drive her past the hospital grounds. Joanne even visited the hospital with her school group to sing Christmas carols for the patients.

Paul is one of the owners of Trattoria Stella, the first business to open in the redeveloped Building 50 of the old Traverse City State Hospital. The entire hospital grounds has been renovated and re-opened as the "Village at Grand Traverse Commons", and this re-purposed historic structure has both retail and housing.

Amanda is one of the owners of Trattoria Stella, the first business to open in the redeveloped Building 50 of the old Traverse City State Hospital. The entire hospital grounds has been renovated and re-opened as the "Village at Grand Traverse Commons", and this re-purposed historic structure has both retail and housing.

Dr. Bedi is the Chief Medical Officer for Kalamazoo Community Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (KCMHSAS). He shares many insights on the effectiveness of the State Hospitals as compared to today's community-based model of care.

Dr. Moisio was a Supervisor of Nursing and an administrator at the Newberry State Hospital for several years, working with the adult mentally ill as well as with the developmentally disabled in the Children's Unit. Prior to that, he spent summers as an Attendant at Newberry while pursuing his nursing degree. Dr. Moisio went on to earn a PhD in Nursing and work at the Northern Michigan Univesity School of Nursing.

Catherine was employed as an attendant nurse at the Newberry State Hospital for 35 years. She worked at various locations within the hospital throughout her long career, and was able to observe many of the non-drug therapies as well as the drug therapies.

While pursuing her nursing degree, Marla spent her summers as an Attendant at the Newberry State Hospital, working with the mentally ill as well as with the developmentally disabled in the Children’s Unit. She then went on to work at the Kalamazoo State Hospital and other health care facilities over a long career.

Denise's mother and father met while working at the Northville Psychiatric Hospital. Her father, a dentist at Northville, and her mother, a nurse at Northville, lived in employee housing while they worked there. Denise and her siblings would often visit Northville to have their Dad to do their dental work at the psychiatric hospital.

Earl was committed to state care by his parents at an early age. According to him, he “was a regular" out at the Northville Psychiatric Hospital and Hawthorn Center for several years. As a patient, Earl had staff keys to many doors at the facility (he still has them) and would escape his room at night to wander in the steam tunnels that ran under the buildings. After he was discharged he took the civil service exam and worked in food service and housekeeping at Northville for two years.

Dr. Reinstein is the CEO of the Mental Health Association in Michigan, a voluntary membership citizens’ organization representing a broad base of people working together as an advocate for individuals with mental illness.