The time period reviewed for this study includes incarceration rates before, during, and after the change in political regimes in the Spring of 1990. The data indicate a substantial overall decrease in incarceration rates independent of changes in crime rates. The Hungarian criminal justice system has responded with remarkable restraint to political upheaval, increased property crimes, and what some have described as an explosion of youth crime. The decrease in prison population both during and after the change in Hungary's regimes seems to be counterintuitive. Whether the decrease in incarceration rates will continue remains to be seen. The article demonstrates the use of the professional conference as a mechanism for promoting comparative study and suggests future exchanges with academics, correctional officials and criminal justice personnel to help transitional countries adapt to social changes that come with political transition. Figures, references