In particular, the police have a number of important functions with respect to handling the deinstitutionalized mentally ill. One key function that the police perform for the social welfare state involves acting as agents of social control for the mentally ill; the police often have to deal with an increasing number of mentally ill persons who lack appropriate psychiatric, social, and economic supports. Another important police function involves processing the mentally ill through the criminal justice system and diverting attention away from the shortcomings of the social welfare state. An additional police function relates to their role in network arrangements between police and social service agencies to care for the needs of the mentally ill. From the perspective of critical criminology, the elimination of police involvement with the deinstitutionalized mentally ill can only be accomplished by establishing an alternative social arrangement that facilitates the development of positive, long-term care