Prison incarceration rates will continue to climb. Trends toward mandatory sentencing, abolition of parole, curtailment of individual rights, and reduced funding will push correctional systems toward crisis. Other trends that will affect prison population include increased execution of death row inmates, privatization, electronic monitoring of offenders under house arrest, an aging prison population, and increased minority incarceration. Other trends that will impact on prisons include development of alternatives to incarceration, improved offender classification, a focus on serious juvenile offenders, and a gradual erosion of individual rights. Increased construction of new prisons also is anticipated. While corrections remains in a crisis stage, community-based corrections, improved screening, and better service delivery hold hope for the future. 10 references.