The discussion notes that institutionalization as a primary means of enforcing customs, mores, or laws is a relatively modern practice. The North American colonists brought with them the harsh penal codes and practices of their homelands. Initial attempts to find alternatives to the brutality of British penal practice took place in Pennsylvania as a result of the efforts of William Penn. Correctional institutions include maximum-security prisons, medium security correctional centers, minimum-security correctional centers, reception and classification centers, and youth corrections centers. Overcrowded prisons may be one of the most urgent programs the criminal justice system is experiencing today. Riots and disturbances are a constant and recurring problem. Prison gangs are normally clandestine and exclusive and are responsible for the majority of drug trafficking in prisons. Homosexuality is a fact of life in every prison. Institutions for female offenders and juveniles differ in their management from those for adult males. Corrections today is experiencing the dilemma of dwindling resources and little public tolerance for service cutbacks. Photographs, discussion and review questions, notes, and 42 references