The paper reviews the mentally ill prison population and their growing prison rate in California's criminal justice system. The mentally ill prison population in California is currently lacking adequate mental health care and policies that can shape an outcome in their rising numbers. Despite recent policy prison reforms passed in the state of California, none actually benefited the mentally ill prison population and their well-being. The intention to lower prison rates in California after a mandated Supreme Court was done at the expense of leaving a vulnerable population behind. In 2016, almost 38,000 prisoners or 30% of the prison population in the state of California is said to be in need of mental health services. That is a 150% increase since the year 2000. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation explains that the number of mentally ill inmates is expected to continue to climb. Additionally, there is limited research documenting the growing number of mentally ill inmates in California. In depth interviews with key stakeholders in regards to this population offer the best insight in the creation of policies that can shape a new outcome for these inmates. It is hoped that this study will serve as a legislative guide for policy makers to use in efforts to implement new policies that address the mentally ill prison population in California.