THE STUDIES ARE PAPERS FROM A 1976 CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY THE SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WUPPERTAL. CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS ARE EXPERTS IN CRIMINAL LAW AND MEMBERS OF WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS. THE ESSAYS INTEND TO SHOW THE LINES OF DEVELOPMENT WHICH HAVE DETERMINED THE MAJOR CONCERNS OF MODERN PRISONER ASSISTANCE. EARLY DOCUMENTS INCLUDED ARE THE BY-LAWS OF THE RHENIC-WESTPHALIAN PRISON SOCIETY OF JUNE 18, 1826, AND A 1929 DRAFT OF GUIDELINES FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS OF THE PRISON SOCIETY. TOPICS RELATE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TREATMENT CONCEPT FOR CORRECTIONS IN NORTH RHINE-WESPHALIA AND POSSIBILITIES FOR COLLABORATION WITH SOCIAL GROUPS; THE ROLE OF THE RHENIC-WESTPHALIAN PRISON SOCIETIES IN 19TH CENTURY PRISON REFORM; CURRENT POSSIBILITIES FOR CORRECTIONS REFORM IN NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA; THEOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CORRECTIONS, BOTH WITH REGARD TO PENALTIES AND INMATES CARE; ETHICAL AND THEOLOGICAL RATIONALES FOR IMPRISONMENT AS A PENALTY; AND PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL PEDAGOGY FOR PRISONERS AS DEVELOPED BY JOHANN H. WIDURN AND ADOLF DIESTERWEG. FURTHER ESSAYS ARE DEVOTED TO LONG-TERM PLANNING FOR REINTEGRATING EX-CONVICTS INTO THE WORK WORLD; THE CONTRIBUTION OF TRADE UNIONS TO CORRECTIONS REFORM; PRISON REFORM AS ADVOCATED BY THEODOR FLIEDNER FROM 1826 TO THE PRESENT; DEVELOPMENTS IN CORRECTIONS LAWS FROM 1825 TO THE PRESENT; AND THE EFFECTS OF LANGUAGE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NORMS IN CORRECTIONS LAWS. EXTENSIVE NOTES ARE SUPPLIED FOR EACH ESSAY. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)