The N.C. Department of Corrections protects public safety by carrying out court sentences; it punishes lawbreakers; and it helps those who can reform and return to society. North Carolina, which has incarcerated misdemeanants as well as nonviolent criminals considers work release programs and other alternatives more satisfactory than imprisonment. A 10-year plan for improving existing facilities, building new prisons, and reaching standards legally defensible in court is the goal. Federal intervention, in which Special Masters will be appointed and the State will lose control of its prison system, is a real threat. 2 footnotes and 2 illustrations.