The United Nations has repeatedly affirmed the dignity and worth of the individual and faith in human rights. However, conditions of imprisonment in many parts of the world reveal a serious discrepancy between these universal ideals and the reality of penal practice. Justice should become a more universal basis of penal policy and correctional reform; justice requires restoring to prisoners a sense of dignity of which the physical reality of incarceration deprives them. In this perspective, the congress may wish to consider further action and followup in several priority areas. First, at the national level, increased efforts are required to reduce the number of prisoners by providing effective alternatives, more viable options, and more hopeful techniques for dealing with offenders who must remain in correctional institutions. Although some progress has been made to retain offenders for treatment in the community, newer modalities should be devised by drawing on local experience and customary practices and traditions. Moreover, practical guidelines for more effective application of the U.N. standard minimum rules are needed. Second, at the regional level, attention should be directed at developing an appropriate framework for the meaningful exchange of information, on a continuous basis, on the practices adopted and on their relative successes. Intensified activities of the regional United Nations institutes should be encouraged, and the role of the United Nations Social Defense Research Institute must be underscored. Third, at the international level, the exchange of experience and expertise among correctional administrators, system operators, and researchers is crucial. The paper provides 130 footnotes. (Author abstract modified).