THE CONGRESSES ARE HELD ON A QUINQUENNIAL BASIS AND ARE ONE OF THE MOST WELL-KNOWN ACTIVITIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT IN THE FIELD OF CRIME PREVENTION AND THE TREATMENT OF OFFENDERS. THEY ARE ATTENDED BY GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES, OBSERVERS FROM CERTAIN NATIONAL LIBERATION MOVEMENTS AND INTERESTED INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES AND BODIES, DELEGATES OF NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS. CONTENT ANALYSIS IS EMPLOYED TO EVALUATE REPORTS ON THE CONGRESSES, WITH CONTENT ANALYSIS DEFINED AS A WAY OF ANALYZING COMMUNICATION IN A SYSTEMATIC AND QUANTITATIVE MANNER TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE FREQUENCY OR IMPORTANCE OF VARIOUS COMMUNICATIONS OR TO STUDY CHANGES IN THE CONTENT OF COMMUNICATIONS. CONTENT ANALYSIS USUALLY PROCEEDS IN FOUR STEPS: (1) DEFINITION OF THE UNIVERSE OF CONTENT, (2) CATEGORIZATION OF THE UNIVERSE OF CONTENT, (3) CHOICE OF THE UNIT OF ANALYSIS, AND (4) QUANTIFICATION OF CONTENT MADE BY IDENTIFYING THE CONTENT AREA THAT BEST DESCRIBES SUBJECT MATTER. CONTENT AREAS EVALUATED IN THE UNITED NATIONS CONGRESSES ARE BIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY, PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY, SOCIAL STRUCTURES, SOCIOECONOMIC ADULT OFFENDERS, JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, DIFFERENTIATION OF OFFENDERS AND PRISONERS, PREDICTION AND PLANNING, OFFENSES, VICTIMS, PREVENTION, TREATMENT IN THE COMMUNITY, TREATMENT IN INSTITUTIONS, AND CRIMINAL LAW AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. HISTORICAL TRENDS IN THE CONTENT OF CONGRESSES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CONGRESS PARTICIPANTS ARE DESCRIBED. QUANTITATIVE DATA ON THE CONGRESSES BY CONTENT AREA AND BY GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION (NORTH AMERICA, WESTERN EUROPE, JAPAN, OTHER CAPITALIST COUNTRIES, EASTERN EUROPE AND THE SOVIET UNION, LATIN AMERICA, NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST, TROPICAL AFRICA, SOUTHERN ASIA, AND EAST ASIA) ARE PRESENTED. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)