THE PURPOSE OF THIS ANALYSIS WAS TO AID ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS IN COMPARING AND CONTRASTING THE TEXAS INMATE POPULATION AND POPULATION TRENDS WITH THOSE OF OTHER STATES AND THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. THE SOURCE OF DATA WAS AN LEAA PUBLICATION, PRISONERS IN STATE AND FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS. EACH STATE AND FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL FACILITY REPORTED TO LEAA ITS INMATE POPULATION (MALES AND FEMALES) AS OF DECEMBER 31 OF EACH YEAR STUDIED. NATIONAL PRISONER STATISTICS, AN LEAA PUBLICATION WHICH COMPILES THIS INFORMATION, CONSTITUTED ANOTHER SOURCE OF DATA FOR CALCULATING CHANGES AND TRENDS IN THE CORRECTIONAL POPULATION OVER TIME. THE NATIONAL TOTAL INMATE POPULATION INCREASED BY 67,300, OR 34 PERCENT, FROM 1972 TO 1975. THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS ONLY SHOWED AN OVERALL INMATE POPULATION INCREASE OF 25.8 PERCENT FOR THE SAME YEARS. MALE PRISONER POPULATIONS INCREASED STEADILY FROM 1972 TO 1975, WITH AN AVERAGE INCREASE OF OVER 3,000 PER STATE. THIS INCREASE CONSTITUTED A 34 PERCENT NATIONAL INCREASE, WHILE TEXAS HAD ONLY A 26 PERCENT INCREASE. FEMALE INMATE POPULATIONS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, BOTH NATIONALLY AND IN TEXAS. THE POPULATION OF FEMALE INMATES GREW NATIONALLY BY 54 PERCENT AND IN TEXAS BY 26 PERCENT. IN GENERAL, TEXAS HAD A SLIGHTLY HIGHER PRISONER PER 100,000 POPULATION RATIO THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. EXTENSIVE SUPPORTING DATA ARE PROVIDED. (DEP)