Imprisonment has accounted for 32-40 percent of sanctions for misdemeanors and felonies during 1979-88, with most incarcerative sentences imposed on recidivists. Sentences of 6 months or less were the most common, followed by sentences of 7-12 months and sentences of 13-24 months. The corrections agencies in the individual Republics implement these sentences, with security levels matched to inmate characteristics. Corrections management is more repressive than rehabilitative. Inmates are almost completely isolated from the rest of society and are expected to work, although the pay is low and the type of work does not contribute to their rehabilitation. Inmates have few rights, despite the law specifying them. Reforms have been proposed periodically since 1968 and now appear more likely due to the changed socioeconomic conditions of current Czechoslovakian society. Needed reforms include guaranteeing basic prisoners' rights in accordance with international standards, the development of alternatives to institutionalization, the establishment of special institutions for specific populations such as mentally ill offenders and sex offenders, and the establishment of community-based programs for juveniles. Footnotes, tables, and 28 references