The UndesirablesBy 1950, an estimated 50,000 people had been deemed defective by the government and detained for life under the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act. Their crimes were various: women with children born outside of wedlock; rebellious teenagers caught shoplifting; those with learning disorders, speech impediments and chronic illnesses who had struggled in school; and, of course, those who were simply different. Forcibly removed from their families and confined to