The book identifies and discusses the factors that have contributed to changes in penal policy and prison practice over the years. Some, such as the return to the use of capital punishment in the 1950's, were the product of political and social forces outside the prison; some were created by prison administrators; and others were initiated by inmate actions such as the 1965 inmate riot which is described and analyzed. The current penal system in New Zealand is depicted as in a state of crisis. Prisons are overcrowded, and one in four inmates needs some form of segregation; 9 percent are in protective custody. These conditions are attributed to outmoded policy, bureaucratic ineptitude, administrative bungles, and corruption. Chapter notes, subject index, and 193-item bibliography