institutionalization

[ in-sti-too-shuh-nl-ahy-zey-shuhn, -tyoo- ]

noun

1. the act or process of establishing a group, movement, program, etc., as a permanent and publicly recognized entity for the promotion of a particular cause:

   The study measures the level of institutionalization of 28 African political parties based on four dimensions: roots in society, level of organization, autonomy, and coherence.

   The introduction of clearly designated offices of leadership, like elders and bishops, marked a growing institutionalization of the church.

2. the process of making a principle or pattern of behavior into a normative policy or practice perpetuated in public establishments such as schools, courts, legislative bodies, etc.:

   We are committed to the institutionalization of racial and gender equality.

3. the act or practice of placing a person into a care facility, as for elderly people or those with mental illness, addiction, disabilities, etc.:

   The downside is that institutionalization severely limits a person's ability to interact with family and friends, to work, and to participate in community life.

Other Words From

• re·in·sti·tu·tion·al·i·za·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of institutionalization¹

institutionaliz(e) ( def ) + -ation ( def )

Example Sentences

They include more aggressive policing, less funding for some low-income housing and shelter programs, a return to forced institutionalization of people with substance and mental health problems and an end to the national strategy that seeks to house people without imposing conditions such as sobriety, mental health treatment or participation in religious-based treatment programs.

From Los Angeles Times

I would support any effort toward stronger institutionalization of services — health services, mental health care, job training, post-incarceration care — separate from the criminal justice system.

From Salon

In the pretrial brief, Rosenbaum argued that the lack of adequate housing at the VA forces veterans with serious mental illness or traumatic brain injury toward institutionalization.

From Los Angeles Times

I was too — just two of countless teenage girls since the ’60s to proclaim our love for the bracing and violent "Ariel" poems, and "The Bell Jar," Plath’s fictionalized account of her first mental breakdown, suicide attempt and institutionalization — a not-at-all-subtle way of making sure the world knew we were in pain.

From Salon

American Civil Liberties Unions in California and League of Women Voters of California urged voters to reject the measure, arguing that community mental health services are more effective than institutionalization.

From Los Angeles Times