The decision contributed to the deinstitutionalization movement, which resulted in changes to state laws and the closure of many public mental institutions in the country.

The hospital's current Administration Building was adapted from the original Officers' Quarters of the Arsenal and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The first engagement of the American Civil War in Florida took place here on January 6, 1861 when a Confederate militia unit from Quincy overcame Union soldiers at the Arsenal.

The decision, as interpreted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), means that it is unconstitutional to commit for treatment persons who are not imminently a danger to themselves or others and who are capable to a minimal degree of surviving on their own.

[4] The ruling contributed to the deinstitutionalization movement in the United States, resulting in the shutting down of many large, public psychiatric hospitals.

Hospital staff ensure the resident is no longer at risk of reoffending before recommending to the judge that the patient is ready for a conditional release to the community.

A Florida inmate on death row appealed his case to the United States Supreme Court, declaring he was not competent to be executed.

The court ruled that a forensic professional must make that evaluation and, if the inmate is found incompetent, provide treatment to aid in his gaining competency so the execution can take place.

[9] Providing treatment to an individual to enable that person to become competent to be executed puts mental health professionals in an ethical dilemma.

[10] The former arsenal and current Administration Building of Florida State Hospital is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[1] Built in 1839 as the U.S. Arsenal-Officers Quarters, it is a two-story masonry brick main building, with 1+1⁄2-story wings and front and rear porches framed with carved brackets.