The discussion focuses on the history and current relationship of mental health services to correctional institutions for adult males, because the major challenges these institutions pose to mental health workers are both representative and indicative of the issues involved in every attempt to provide mental health services within the corrections system. The discussion pertains to adult offenders who require psychiatric services in correctional institutions but have not been formally designated by the courts as mentally disordered offenders. The prisoners' rights movement has impacted inmate mental health services as it has addressed inmates' right to treatment for all health disorders and the requirement of procedural due process before the transfer of an inmate to a mental hospital. Another legal mandate involves the construction of correctional classification systems that accurately identify the health needs of inmates. Additional trends across the Nation that will affect the delivery of mental health services to inmates in the coming years are the cessation of many "sexually dangerous" offenders programs and the consequent commitment of these offenders to corrections as well as the increasing implementation of determinate sentencing. Another relevant trend is the increasing pressure on the corrections system to privatize. All of these developments make it important for corrections to implement and maintain adequate standards of health care. Accreditation under professional standards should be the goal of each correctional facility. 79 references