SINCE THE 1960'S, THE LEGAL RIGHT OF INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE COURTS FOR PRESENTING THEIR COMPLAINTS HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY AFFIRMED BY THE NATION'S JUDICIARY. RULINGS HAVE LINKED THE RIGHT OF ACCESS TO THE COURTS WITH THE RIGHT TO USE LEGAL MATERIALS AND LAW LIBRARIES TO ASSIST IN THE PREPARATION OF PETITIONS. AS A RESULT OF THESE RULINGS, THE CALIFORNIA YOUTH AUTHORITY, IN EARLY 1975, ESTABLISHED LAW LIBRARIES IN ALL OF ITS MAJOR RESIDENT FACILITIES FOR THE USE OF BOTH WARDS AND STAFF. THIS EVALUATION WAS UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH WARDS UTILIZE THE LAW LIBRARIES, TO DETERMINE THE REASONS FOR WARDS USING THE LAW LIBRARIES, TO FIND THE EXTENT TO WHICH WARDS ARE GETTING THE ASSISTANCE THEY NEED WHEN USING THE LAW LIBRARIES, AND TO ASSESS THE ADEQUACY OF THE TRAINING GIVEN LAW LIBRARY PERSONNEL. EVALAUTION METHODS INCLUDED REVIEW OF STATISTICS ON THE LIBRARIES' OPERATIONS, AND INTERVIEWS WITH STAFF AND WARDS. THE STUDY FOUND THAT THE LIBRARIES WERE WELL UTILIZED, AND APPEARED TO BE MEETING A REAL NEED. THE LIBRARIES WERE FOUND TO BE RELATIVELY ACCESSIBLE. WARDS UTILIZED THE LIBRARIES PRIMARILY FOR INVESTIGATING PRE-CONVICTION ISSUES, POST-CONVICTION ISSUES, AND CIVIL MATTERS. WARDS EXPERIENCED SOME DIFFICULTIES IN GETTING ASSISTANCE DUE TO LACK OF MATERIALS AND LACK OF SUFFICIENT ASSISTANCE FROM LIBRARY PERSONNEL. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT MORE TRAINING IS NEEDED FOR LIBRARY STAFF. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)