A national survey of adult correctional institutions was conducted by questionnaire in 1973 to obtain an accurate picture of the current status of academic educational programs, particularly at the elementary and secondary levels, available to inmates. Questions were designed to obtain information regarding the degree of participation of inmates in such programs, the types of programs available, the previous educational attainments of the inmates, the resources available at the institutions for the educational programs, the numbers and types of training of the teachers, and the problems and needs of the institutions with regard to the education of inmates. Some information was received from 150 institutions, or 60 percent of those solicited; the geographic distribution of returns was fairly uniform. The data obtained from the survey is presented in tabular form with comments by the researchers. It is concluded that the baseline data reflected in the survey can serve as a basis for planning educational programs, both within institutions and from without, in order to reduce recidivism. (Author/AJ)