The text combines materials from these disciplines into an argument for a new concept of rehabilitation based on the view of rehabilitation as a right and the definition of this right as essentially an opportunity. The analysis details the history of rehabilitation, the evolution of the idea from ancient China to the present, and its legislative impact in the United States and other legal systems. It also defines and examines four historical models of rehabilitation and examines and responds to the recent criticisms of rehabilitation. The discussion emphasizes that critics of rehabilitation have consistently blamed it for the problems arising from two other sources: overcrowded and violence-ridden prisons and the abuses of discretion in indeterminate sentencing systems. The text also examines the relationship between rehabilitation and imprisonment and reviews past and present forms of rehabilitation in the community with emphasis on their potential for future development. Particular attention is given to the rehabilitation of mentally disordered offenders, including the special treatment of sex offenders and European social therapeutic establishments. Chapter notes, index, and 148 references. (Publisher summary modified)