The first chapter examines the "skyrocketing" prison populations and compares the rates of imprisonment across the 50 States, as well as the rates of countries around the world. It also discusses the ideologies and attitudes that underlie the rationale for the use of prisons. Chapter 2 profiles current prison life through a review of some court cases that have addressed prisoners' rights. Litigation that has focused on prison overcrowding and general prison conditions is reviewed. The next chapter describes Scandinavian criminology, including the principles that are the foundation of Scandinavian correctional philosophy. Denmark's prison system is examined indepth to illustrate the potential for developing effective correctional institutions. Chapter 4 compares and contrasts the traditional closed model of imprisonment with the open model used in the Scandinavian system. It includes a procedure for creating a "prison index" that would permit the measurement of prison conditions and a comparison of the effects of various kinds of prison environments. Remaining chapters provide an overview of correctional practices worldwide compared to those of the United States and propose a moderation of punishment that would limit imprisonment to violent offenders while improving community correctional programs for nonviolent offenders. 2 figures, 8 tables, 220 references, and a subject index