For serious crimes, prison is the universal sanction and is applied more than any other punishment, regardless of the legal system or the level of development of a country. There are wide variations, however, in the prison rates of various countries and these do not appear to depend on the amount of crime in a country. There are vast differences among countries; some show enormous increases in prison populations, while others show decreases. Prison rates have particularly increased in countries in transition. Parole is not widely used throughout the world, but is frequently used by developed western countries. A small number of countries report statistics that suggest prison populations exceed their prison capacity. Developing countries tend to have more prisoners awaiting trial than developed countries. The movement toward restriction and abolition of the death penalty is not universal. Abolitionist countries are predominantly in Europe and Latin America. The fine is the most frequently used non-custodial sanction, regardless of the level of development in a country. Non-custodial sanctions are used less in the regions of Africa, Latin America, and Asia than in the rest of the world. Public attitudes toward punishment generally conform to actual sentencing options available. In developing countries and countries in transition, the public displays a marked preference for prison as a punishment. 14 tables and 22 figures