POLITICAL AND CULTURAL TENSIONS IN ISRAEL HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO A RAPID GROWTH IN ANTISOCIAL ATTITUDES, AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT MEMBERS OF VARIOUS CULTURAL SUBGROUPS OFTEN COMMIT NO SERIOUS CRIMES, THEY TEND TO FOSTER ANTISOCIAL ATTITUDES AND ARE GENERALLY HOSTILE TO OFFICIAL INSTITUTIONS. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT NEED FOR COMMUNITY-BASED WORKERS TO SUPPLEMENT THE BASICALLY CASE WORK-ORIENTED PROBATION SERVICE STRUCTURE. ALTHOUGH THERE IS LITTLE EMPHASIS ON VOLUNTEER WORK (PROBATION OFFICERS ARE PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED), THERE IS NO GENERAL AGREEMENT CONCERNING THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING FOR PROBATION WORKERS. WHILE THE PROBATION SERVICE ITSELF IS WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE, IT IS THE PROBATION OFFICERS WHO DECIDE WHAT TYPE OF OFFENDER TO HANDLE, WHETHER TO ACCEPT CLIENTS WHO REQUIRE CASE PLANNING AND INTERACTION WITH OUTSIDE SOCIAL AGENCIES, OR WHETHER TO LIMIT THEMSELVES TO THOSE IN NEED OF THERAPEUTIC AID. HOWEVER, ALTHOUGH PROBATION WORKERS ARE NOT OFFICERS OF THE COURT, THEY ARE ATTACHED TO THE COURTS AND MUST INEVITABLY HAVE SOME CONTACT WITH THE POLICE, PSYCHIATRISTS, AND OTHER SOCIAL SERVICE WORKERS. ALSO, THE NUMBER OF OFFENDERS RECEIVING PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT IN ISRAEL IS NEGLIGIBLE BECAUSE THERE ARE FEW TRAINED PSYCHIATRISTS SPECIALIZING IN THE TREATMENT OF DELINQUENTS, THERE IS LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR OF OFFENDERS, AND OFFENDERS LABELED AS PSYCHOPATHIC ARE USUALLY SENT TO JAIL BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF MORE SUITABLE INSTITUTIONS. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DEP)