THE TWO CONFERENCES WHOSE PROCEEDINGS ARE REPORTED HERE--'SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE IN PUBLIC JUSTICE' AND 'INCARCERATION: BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS'--WERE PRESENTED CONCURRENTLY BY THE INSTITUTE OF URBAN STUDIES, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON. THE 'SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE IN PUBLIC JUSTICE' IS AN ANNUAL EVENT SPONSORED BY THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAMS DIVISION AND 'INCARCERATION: BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS' WAS THE THIRD IN A FIVE-CONFERENCE SERIES FUNDED BY LEAA AS A PART OF ITS CITIZEN INITIATIVE AGAINST CRIME. THE CONFERENCE ON INCARCERATION CONSIDERED TRENDS IN CORRECTIONS IN GENERAL IN AMERICA, AND IT IS NOTED BY A NUMBER OF THE SPEAKERS THAT THE RATE OF IMPRISONMENT AND THE LENGTH OF PRISON SENTENCES IN THE UNITED STATES IS THE HIGHEST OF ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCH AN APPROACH TO CORRECTIONS IS QUESTIONED, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR REDUCING IMPRISONMENT RATES ARE OFFERED. OTHER PARTICIPANTS INDICATE THAT PREPARATION FOR THE REENTRY OF INMATES INTO SOCIETY UPON RELEASE IS CRUCIAL TO REDUCTION IN RECIDIVISM. THE IMPORTANCE OF PROGRAMS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR EX-OFFENDERS IS DISCUSSED. JAIL REFORM IS CONSIDERED AS REPRESENTATIVES FROM VARIOUS CITIZEN ACTION PROGRAMS FOR JAILS DESCRIBE THEIR ACTIVITIES, WHICH INCLUDE SOCIAL SERVICES AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. ANOTHER SPEAKER TRACES THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SETTING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF STATE STANDARDS FOR COUNTY JAILS IN TEXAS. PRISON CONDITIONS ARE EXAMINED IN A NUMBER OF ADDRESSES, AND ONE ADDRESS TREATS THE SITUATION OF WOMEN IN PRISON WHO HAVE CHILDREN ON THE OUTSIDE. ADDRESSES FROM THE SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE IN PUBLIC JUSTICE INCLUDE AN EXAMINATION OF HISTORIC CHANGES THAT HAVE LED TO CHANGES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, COMPUTER-ASSISTED DIAGNOSTICS IN JUVENILE COURT INVESTIGATIONS, A MODEL FOR CONTROLLING POLICE PRACTICES, AND A REVIEW OF LITERATURE WHICH EXAMINES BIAS IN DISCRETIONARY CRIMINAL JUSTICE DECISIONMAKING. DISCUSSIONS FOLLOWING ADDRESSES ARE SUMMARIZED, AND A NUMBER OF THE PRESENTATIONS PROVIDE REFERENCES. (RCB)