NO REHABILITATION TREATMENT OF CONVICTED OFFENDERS IN A CORRECTIONAL SETTING CAN BE EFFECTIVE UNLESS THE PROSPECTIVE PATIENTS ARE WILLING, AND ABOVE ALL, CAPABLE OF RECEIVING THE SOCIAL THERAPY OFFERED. INMATE CLASSIFICATION MUST BE CARRIED OUT UPON ADMISSION TO SCREEN OUT ALL MENTALLY ILL AND PSYCHOPATHIC INDIVIDUALS. FOR THIS PURPOSE, OBJECTIVE MEDICAL CRITERIA, INCLUDING PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF SUBSTANCE WITHDRAWAL AND AGGRESSIVENESS, SHOULD BE APPLIED. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL CRITERIA ARE NEEDED FOR DIFFERENTIATING INCOMING INMATES ACCORDING TO THEIR DEGREE OF EXPECTED RECEPTIVITY TO TREATMENT OR THERAPY. AFTER THEIR INITIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION, A SAMPLE OF 397 ADULT MALE INMATES OF A WEST GERMAN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION, WERE GIVEN A SPECIAL SCREENING, BASED ON SELF-ASSESSMENT. A FIRST GROUP (CONSTITUTING 22 PERCENT OF THE SAMPLE) ADMITTED TO BEING EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED AND SUFFERING FROM ALL KINDS OF PERSONAL PROBLEMS. FOR THIS GROUP, WHO EXPRESSED A DESIRE AND READINESS FOR THERAPY, INTENSIVE TREATMENT IS THE ANSWER. A SECOND GROUP, (17 PERCENT) OBVIOUSLY AS EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED AS THE FIRST GROUP, REFUSED TO ADMIT ANY PROBLEMS OR DISORDERS, AND DECLARED THAT THEY NEITHER NEEDED NOR DESIRED ANY KIND OF TREATMENT. OBVIOUSLY, UNTIL THESE INMATES CAN BE PERSUADED TO ACCEPT THERAPY, TREATMENT CAN BE NEITHER USEFUL NOR DESIRABLE. A THIRD GROUP (21 PERCENT), SHOWING NO EMOTIONAL DISORDERS OR PROBLEMS, ONLY NEEDED PRACTICAL HELP WITH CONCRETE PROBLEMS. SUCH HELP SHOULD BE PROVIDED, ALTHOUGH NO THERAPY IS REQUIRED. A FINAL GROUP (8 PERCENT), ALSO MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY STABLE, COMPLAINED NEVERTHELESS OF IMAGINARY EMOTIONAL AND PERSONAL PROBLEMS. INSTEAD OF UNNECESSARY SOCIAL THERAPY, THESE INMATES SHOULD RECEIVE COUNSELING AND INFORMAL, FRIENDLY ATTENTION FROM THE STAFF. IN GENERAL, WHENEVER TREATMENT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE INDICATED, PERSONAL COUNSELING FROM THE CORRECTIONAL STAFF CAN STILL BE USEFUL. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS APPENDED. --IN GERMAN.