CALCULATING THE EXACT PROPORTION OF CONVICTED OFFENDERS IN THE POPULATION RAISES METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM THE DYNAMIC CHARACTER OF CRIME (E.G., CHANGES IN SENTENCING, DIFFICULTIES IN DETERMINING WHICH OFFENDERS HAVE BEEN CONVICTED). USING A VARIETY OF METHODS FOR GENERATING PREVALENCE RATES, THE STUDY ATTEMPTS TO INDICATE THE UPPER AND LOWER LIMITS BETWEEN WHICH THE CONVICTION RATES FOR PARTICULAR GROUPS OF THE POPULATION CAN BE EXPECTED TO FALL. THROUGH THE ANALYSIS OF PENAL STATISTICS OF BERLIN (WEST) FROM 1961 TO 1974 AND THE CRIME RATE OF SAMPLE POPULATION IN THE STATE OF BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG TO 1975, A CONVICTION RATE OF 8 TO 10 PERCENT UP TO THE AGE OF 18 AND A RATE OF 30 TO 35 PERCENT UP TO THE AGE OF 30 WAS CALCULATED FOR THE MALE POPULATION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY. THE PREVALENCE RATE FOR WOMEN WAS CONSIDERABLY LOWER. A COMPARISON OF THESE RESULTS TO THOSE OF OTHER COUNTRIES SHOWS THAT THE PROPORTION OF CONVICTED OFFENDERS IS LOWER IN WEST GERMANY THAN IN THE ANGLO-AMERICAN COUNTRIES (ESPECIALLY FOR JUVENILES) BUT HIGHER THAN IN SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES. THE DIFFERENCE CAN BE EXPLAINED TO A COURT TREATMENT OF JUVENILE AND CHILD DELINQUENCY, AS WELL AS THE DIFFERING LEGAL ASSESSMENT OF TRAFFIC OFFENSES. THE ARTICLE INCLUDES FOOTNOTES AND EXTENSIVE STATISTICAL CHARTS OF WEST GERMAN AND INTERNATIONAL PREVALENCE RATES. --IN GERMAN. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--SAJ)