Given the continued 'invincible ignorance' of the public and most legislators in criminal justice matters, America will continue to incarcerate the poor, the retarded, and the inept in penal institutions. Most of the prisons will be run by the inmates, given the continuation of administrative neglect or incompetence or a misguided humanitarianism. In 2012 society will continue to be ambivalent about the purpose of correctional agencies and institutions; however, prisons will continue to be an important part of the public's conception of corrections. Prisons will remain crowded. The increased use of alternatives to imprisonment will have only 'widened the net' of the criminal justice system. Prisons should be lawful, safe, industrious, and hopeful. Both inmates and staff should be expected to behave lawfully and safely. The current idleness in most prisons should be replaced by serious work characterized by quality and production control, realistic staffing, state-of-the-art equipment, and a work schedule approximating that of the 'free world.' Hope should be engendered in inmates through educational programs and sentences that offer the possibility of a new beginning based on responsible living.