THREE SETS OF CRITERIA WERE USED IN THIS ASSESSMENT OF MANPOWER NEEDS: ANALYSES OF RECENT WORKLOAD AND STAFFING TRENDS, ASSESSMENTS BY ADMINISTRATORS, AND COMPARISONS OF CURRENT STAFF-WORKLOAD RATIOS WITH PROFESSIONALLY RECOMMENDED STANDARDS. WORKLOAD TRENDS HAVE BEEN MIXED. INMATE-STAFF RATIOS DECREASED FOR BOTH ADULT AND JUVENILE INSTITUTIONS BETWEEN THE LATE 1960'S AND 1974, BUT THIS TREND REVERSED FOR ADULT INSTITUTIONS AS THE PRISON POPULATION INCREASED. SHORTAGES ARE GREATER AMONG SPECIALIZED PERSONNEL (PSYCHIATRISTS, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND COUNSELORS). GREATEST SHORTAGES WERE FOUND IN PROBATION AND PAROLE AGENCIES AND IN LOCAL JAILS. TOTAL CORRECTIONAL EMPLOYMENT IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE FROM 203,000 IN 1974 TO 324,000 IN 1985, OR 60 PERCENT. THE NUMBER OF PRISONERS IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 252,000 BY 1985, COMPARED TO 217,000 IN LATE 1976. THIS ASSUMES A CONTINUATION OF THE TREND TOWARD IMPRISONMENT OF SERIOUS OFFENDERS. JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL AGENCIES WILL EXPERIENCE THE SLOWEST NET GROWTH, PROBATION AND PAROLE AGENCIES THE MOST RAPID. A SURVEY OF PERSONNEL POLICIES SHOWS THAT THE RECRUITMENT AND TURNOVER PROBLEMS OF THE PAST DECADE ARE BEING REDUCED BY IMPROVED MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES. MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO RECRUIT WOMEN AND MINORITIES. IN GENERAL, EDUCATION OF CORRECTIONS PERSONNEL HAS INCREASED. SUGGESTIONS ARE MADE FOR BOTH TRAINING FOR LINE OFFICERS AND CONTINUED INSERVICE TRAINING. A NEED EXISTS FOR MANAGEMENT TRAINING, ESPECIALLY FOR LINE PERSONNEL PROMOTED TO SUPERVISORY POSITIONS. TABLES PRESENT DATA COLLECTED BY THE SURVEY INCLUDING EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONNEL BY INSTITUTION TYPE AND SIZE, DUTIES OF CORRECTIONAL PERSONNEL, AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED FOR ADULT AND JUVENILE CORRECTIONS PERSONNEL, AND FUTURE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE FOR EXPANDED ROLES FOR CORRECTIONS EMPLOYEES. FOR RELATED VOLUMES IN THIS SERIES, SEE NCJ-43739, V. 1 'SUMMARY REPORT'; NCJ-43760, V. 2 'LAW ENFORCEMENT'; NCJ-43741, V. 4 'THE COURTS': NCJ-43742, V. 5, TWO PARTS 'CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION AND TRAINING'; AND NCJ-43743, V. 6 'CRIMINAL JUSTICE MANPOWER PLANNING.'