DISCUSSIONS WERE HELD THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OF NOVEMBER 1978 TO FEBRUARY 1979 AT FOUR MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTIONS AND SEVEN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS WITH SUPERINTENDENTS, WARDENS, PSYCHIATRISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND OTHER KEY PROFESSIONALS IN ATTENDANCE. TOPICS EXAMINED INCLUDED THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE 'MEDICAL' MODEL AND THE 'SOCIAL SYSTEM' MODEL OF DEVIANCE, THE NEED FOR DIAGNOSIS AND CLASSIFICATION OF MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS, AND THE NEED TO ADJUST THE SOCIAL SYSTEM TO DETERMINE WHERE TO RECEIVE AND WHAT TO DO WITH MENTALLY ILL INMATES. SOME CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FORMULATED DURING THE COURSE OF THE MEETINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS: (1) A NEED EXISTS FOR AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE EXTENT OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN IOWA; (2) SERVICES THAT COULD BE PROVIDED AT THE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTIONS OR AT THE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF PSYCHIATRIC AND MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ARE VITALLY DEPENDENT ON THE AVAILABILITY OF SUCH STAFF; (3) GREATER COMMUNICATION IS NEEDED BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND CORRECTIONAL PROFESSIONALS; (4) TRAINING AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE INTRODUCED FOR BOTH TYPES OF PERSONNEL AT ALL LEVELS; (5) GROUP THERAPY APPEARS TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR SOME CORRECTIONAL CLIENTS AND WOULD PROVIDE A MEANS FOR TRAINING BOTH MENTAL HEALTH AND CORRECTIONAL STAFF; AND (6) THE MEDICAL SCHOOLS OF IOWA MIGHT CONSIDER EXPOSING THEIR STUDENTS TO MENTALLY DISTURBED OFFENDERS AND THEIR PROBLEMS AS A NECESSARY PART OF TRAINING. (DAG)