Abstract
Thorough research has determined that police attitudes towards mental-health consumers have shifted through the past few decades. After collecting data from peer reviewed articles, multiple textbooks, and some government documents, a prevalent theme shows factors associated with mental illness lead to criminal behavior. Additionally, these same factors alter people’s perception of reality, create a dependence on alcohol/drugs, and leads towards police arresting mental-health consumers. The dynamics of mental illness, alcohol/drug abuse, and criminal activity equates to overpopulation of prisons. This has led to the criminal justice system becoming an asylum instead of a correctional resource. The criminal justice system will continue to increase arrest rates, overcrowding of prisons, and the treatment of mental-health consumers as criminals without proper guidance.