The Polish correctional system has risen from being one of the worst penal systems in Europe to being one of the best. Poland has one of the highest prison population rates in all of Europe. Since World War II, the Polish correctional system has been based on communist ideology that has resulted in widespread corruption and brutality. Prison conditions were deplorable and prison riots were staged 500 times just between late 1989 through early 1990. Reports by international human rights organizations noted that the internal living conditions of most of Poland’s correctional facilities were inadequate. The Polish penal system today has gone through many changes and can serve as a model for dealing with the problem of prison overcrowding. One of the first major changes was to improve the quality of the prison staff, weeding out all forms of corruption. Approximately 40 percent of the staff was let go and new and remaining staff were trained in the importance of human rights and ethical treatment of inmates. New laws were enacted that governed detention of suspects and sentencing options. Future reforms being considered for Poland’s penal system include the introduction of more intermediate sanctions and more intervention and diversion programs focused on drug and alcohol abuse. 8 Endnotes