The experience of France, Russia, Great Britain, Germany, India, China, Indonesia, Latin America, and the United States in dealing with political offenders is discussed. The focus is on reasons for political imprisonment and the treatment of political offenders. Political imprisonment is also considered in relation to the era of human rights after World War II. Consideration is paid the recent decline in political imprisonment and the rise of alternative modes of repression. The author notes that certain countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East continue to practice political imprisonment extensively, but he assesses the future of political imprisonment as generally being on the decline. References and photographs