A brief survey of punishment throughout India's history notes that as the state assumed responsibility for law and order, retribution and deterrence became the underlying motive for punishment rather than revenge or compensation for loss. Contradictions and ambivalence in contemporary corrections are examined, with attention to the often conflicting goals of deterrence, rehabilitation, and control. Principles that should guide any form of psychological treatment in prison are outlined, as are questions that institutions claiming to use approaches that reform offenders should be able to answer positively. The author concludes that the entire penal system must be overhauled if reintegration of offenders back into society is a genuine goal. 15 references.