THE PRECLASSIFICATION ERA WAS DOMINATED BY A PUNITIVE PHILOSOPHY OF CORRECTIONS THAT VIEWED THE OFFENDER AS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND MOST LIKELY TO CHANGE IF THE CONSEQUENCES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR WERE AS PAINFUL AND FRIGHTENING AS THE SEVERITY OF A PARTICULAR OFFENSE WARRANTED. THE CLASSIFICATION ERA, WHICH EMERGED IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 19TH CENTURY, GREW FROM A CHANGE IN THE VIEW OF MAN AS BEING TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS MORAL CONDITION TO THE VIEW THAT HIS BEHAVIOR IS TO A LARGE EXTENT SOCIALLY CONDITIONED, THUS PLACING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BEHAVIORAL GUIDANCE ON SOCIETY. OFFENDER CLASSIFICATION PRACTICE IS DISCUSSED AS HAVING PASSED THROUGH THREE GENERAL PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT: (1) THE SEGREGATION PERIOD, WHERE OFFENDERS WERE SEPARATED BY AGE (YOUTH AND ADULT), SEX, AND SEVERITY OF OFFENSE; (2) THE PERIOD OF DIAGNOSIS AND PLANNING, WHERE OFFENDERS WERE GIVEN SPECIALIZED DIAGNOSTIC SCREENING AND INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENT PLANNING BUT PRIMARILY FOR PRISON MANAGEMENT PURPOSES; AND (3) THE TREATMENT OR RESOCIALIZATION PERIOD, WHERE TREATMENT PROGRAMS WERE TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF THE OFFENDER AS DIAGNOSED THROUGH SOPHISTICATED TEAM METHODS. WHILE THE REHABILITATION MODEL FOR THE TREATMENT OF OFFENDERS IS CURRENTLY UNDER ATTACK, IT IS BELIEVED THAT WHERE EFFECTIVE CLASSIFICATION AND TREATMENT METHODS HAVE BEEN INDIVIDUALIZED AND APPLIED, RESULTS HAVE BEEN GOOD. THE FOLLOWING CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN TREATMENT ARE DISCUSSED: INCREASED USE OF A VARIETY OF INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP FORMS OF COUNSELING AND THERAPY; DEVELOPMENT OF 'THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES'; USE OF 'TREATMENT TEAMS'; USE OF EVALUATIONAL DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH; AND DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS AND DIVERSION PROGRAMS AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL. (RCB)