The survey was confined to adult correctional facilities. Survey instruments were completed by 521 State and 38 Federal facilities, and site visits were conducted to 24 State, 24 local, 2 Federal, and 2 community-based prerelease facilities. The volume provides a basic description of the correctional facilities in the survey, reporting institutional characteristics as well as the characteristics of inmates housed in 1978. Also included is an overview of court orders and inmate litigations (pending or effective on March 31, 1978) that have attempted to mediate or question the conditions of confinement and a comparative account of the capacity of prisons and jails using a uniform standard of measured space. The report describes the distribution of persons within confinement units, thus presenting a national picture of prison density, inmate privacy, freedom of movement, and other measures that address the issue of crowding. An examination of staffing levels begins with a discussion of historical staff population trends and then investigates inmate-to-staff ratios by jurisdiction and region, with an emphasis on custodial and services personnel. To assist the corrections planner or practitioner in assessing the fiscal implications of proposed standards, the volume provides a comparative review of the operating and capital costs of prisons and jails. Tabular data, graphs, diagrams, and chapter notes are supplied. Appendixes present supplementary data on facility characteristics; litigation issues; cell size, occupancy, and density; inmate/custodial, inmate/service staff ratios in local jurisdictions; and operating costs.