WEST GERMANY'S POLICY TOWARD OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION ASSUMES THAT THE OFFENDER MUST SUPPORT HIMSELF WITHOUT STATE AID WHILE FULFILLING SOCIETY'S NEED FOR LABORERS. THE EXTREME EMPHASIS ON VOCATIONAL TRAINING SINCE 1969 MAY RESULT FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS, IDEOLOGICAL CHANGES IN SOCIAL POLICY, CHANGES IN INTERNAL POLICY REGARDING THE ASSUMPTION OF SOCIAL FUNCTIONS BY THE STATE, AND EVERYDAY THEORIES ON SOCIAL CHANGE. A MAJOR DANGER OF TRAINING PROGRAMS IS THAT THEY WILL, AS INSTITUTIONS HAVE IN THE PAST, TEND TO SEPARATE PRISONERS WORTHY OF RESOCIALIZATION FROM THOSE WHO ARE NOT. ALTHOUGH ALL PROFESSIONS APPEAR TO BE COVERED BY TRAINING PROGRAMS, MOST PRISONERS ARE SCHOOLED IN THE TYPES OF OCCUPATIONS FIRST AFFECTED BY CHANGES IN THE PROFESSIONAL STRUCTURE, DOWNSWINGS IN THE ECONOMY, AND SEASONAL VARIATIONS OF DEMAND. PRINCIPAL INTERESTS INVOLVED ARE THOSE OF INDIVIDUALS, SOCIETY'S GENUINE CONCERN ABOUT RESOCIALIZATION, AND THE ECONOMY'S NEED FOR WORKERS EASILY DISPOSED OF IN RECESSIONARY TIMES AND READILY AVAILABLE DURING BOOM PERIODS. UNFORTUNATELY MANY PRISONERS PARTICIPATE IN PROGRAMS TO GAIN FREEDOM WITHOUT INTENTION OF PRACTICING THE OCCUPATION ON THE OUTSIDE, AND THE WORK ITSELF CAN BE INTERPRETED AS A MEANS OF EXERCISING SOCIAL CONTROL OVER BORDERLINE SOCIAL GROUPS. ALTERNATIVES FOR PROFESSIONAL TRAINING MUST DEAL WITH GENERAL CONCEPTS OF OCCUPATIONAL PEDAGOGY, THE PECULIARITIES OF TRAINING IN A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION, AND SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TRAINEES. MEETING THE DEMANDS OF THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM RATHER THAN CONTROLLING A MINORITY, AS WELL AS FREEING INDIVIDUALS FROM ENTRAPMENT IN LOW LEVEL JOBS RATHER THAN PROVIDING THERAPEUTIC TRAINING SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED. A TABLE, NOTES, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE SUPPLIED. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)