Forest Haven Asylum

The Forest Haven Asylum in Laurel, MD opened in 1925 as a progressive institution aimed at teaching usable skills to people with intellectual disabilities. However, in the 1960s Forest Haven suffered from budget cuts leading to severe understaffing and overpopulation. Abuse and neglect of the patients soon became commonplace. In 1976 some of the families of patients filed a lawsuit against the asylum, but it was not until 1991 that the institution finally shut its doors for good.