During the 1970's, ACA developed an accreditation system composed of 2,900 separate standards in 10 areas, ranging from community programs to adult institutions. Accreditation represents the ACA's most significant accomplishment during the decade. In an effort to stimulate more local interest and support for ACA, State chapters were formed in four States during 1979. Initial results (represented by membership increases) were encouraging. ACA should focus greater recruitment effort on jail staff during the future. During the 1970's, the population of correctional facilities increased steadily, even though a wide range of incarceration alternatives were developed during this period. Prisons and jails are currently overcrowded, and legislative attempts to provide harsher punishments in response to crime rate increases threaten to overwhelm the system. As resources decline and inflation continues, corrections administrators must learn to maximize the resources available and to educate funding bodies about their needs for additional support. In order for the courts to continue the policy initiated in the Wolfish decision of deferring to corrections professionals in technical areas, (security, good order, and administration), the officials must learn to present their positions honestly and reliably. Furthermore, as the number of minority group persons held in prisons continues to escalate, corrections staff must ensure that no discrimination exists in the processes of selecting candidates for alternative programs to incarceration. Finally, inmate idleness can be mitigated through improved prison industries programs.