THE POTENTIAL OF THE MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR FOREIGN AND INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW FOR CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH IS ENHANCED BY ITS INCLUSION AS 1 OF 50 INSTITUTES IN THE MAX PLANCK SOCIETY. THIS SOCIETY IS A PRESTIGIOUS AND NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION WITH FORMIDABLE FUNDING, HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND INDEPENDENT RESEARCHERS, AND FREEDOM TO PURSUE QUESTIONS OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARIES OF TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES. THE INSTITUTE WAS ESTABLISHED IN FREIBURG IN 1938 AS A SEMINAR FOR FOREIGN AND INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW; THE FORMATION OF A CRIMINOLOGICAL UNIT WITHIN THE INSTITUTE TO CONNECT CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH WITH WORK IN COMPARATIVE LAW OCCURRED IN 1970. THE INSTITUTE'S CRIMINOLOGICAL UNIT IS IN A UNIQUE POSITION TO MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO CRIMINOLOGY. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 1975 REVISION OF THE WEST GERMAN PENAL CODE OF 1897 INCLUDE SUCH INNOVATIONS AS ADOPTION OF THE SCANDINAVIAN DAY-FINE SYSTEM AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE SOCIAL THERAPY INSTITUTION FOR SERIOUS OFFENDERS. ALSO, THE INSTITUTE AT FREIBURG IS PROMOTING CRIMINOLOGY AS A SPECIALIZATION BY PROVIDING LAW STUDENTS WITH PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE IN LAW-RELATED FIELDS AND BY RECRUITING YOUNG LAWYERS AS RESEARCHERS IN CRIMINOLOGY. THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL AND INTERDISCIPLINARY CHARACTER OF THE INSTITUTE'S CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH UNIT IS ILLUSTRATED BY BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF SEVERAL OF ITS PROJECTS RELATED TO THE INSTITUTIONAL SETTING OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND TO THE STUDY OF THE CRIMINAL PERSONALITY. LIBRARY RESOURCES AND FUNDING SOURCES ARE NOTED. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DEG)