The Census gathers accurate information about current conditions that administrators, practitioners, and planners may use in making informed policy decisions in their own jurisdictions and by researchers in their examination of specific corrections issues. The most appropriate means of data collection will be through a mail-out and followup telephone calls, as was done in both the 1974 and 1979 Censuses. Issues that will be addressed in the Census include inmate population size, capacity and confinement conditions, institutional programs, staffing patterns, and expenditures and construction/renovation plans. In addition, data will be collected on identifying each facility's characteristics, including the security classification, the function, and the age. The Census also obtains information on inmate violence, the extent and nature of inmate deaths, and whether the institution has ever been under court order. Twenty-eight references are included.