ARGUMENTS PRESENTED IN THE FIRST CHAPTER CONCLUDE THAT PRISONS CANNOT BE ISOLATED FROM THEIR SOCIAL CONTEXT NOT IN AESTHETIC AND URBANISTIC TERMS, AND NOT IN TERMS THE GENERAL PROCESSES OF SOCIAL CHANGE AND THE BASIC EXIGENCIES OF LIFE WHICH INFLUENCE THE EXPECTATIONS OF PRISON LIFE. THE OTHER CONCLUSION IS THAT CLOSED INSTITUTIONS DO NOT REPRESENT AN EXCLUSIVE FINALITY OR NECESSITY IN CORRECTIONAL SYSTEMS. OTHER CHAPTERS SUGGEST THAT CONFINEMENT AND ISOLATION ARE AT BEST SHORT TERM SECURITY MEASURES. A SEARCH FOR DIFFERENT APPROACHES INVOLVING GROUP INTER-ACTION, CONTACTS WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD, AND A MORE CONGENIAL MAN-SPACE RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE PRISON IS MANDATED. A GLOBAL PLANNING MODEL IS PROPOSED THAT WOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE CORRECTIONAL SUB-SYSTEM AND ITS SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES AS WELL AS THE ENTIRE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. DETAILED PLANS AND DRAWINGS OF REPRESENTATIVE CLOSED PRISONS FOR ADULT MALE OFFENDERS FROM FOURTEEN COUNTRIES ARE PRESENTED. CANADA, DENMARK, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, HOLLAND, ISRAEL, ITALY, JAPAN, MEXICO, POLAND, SWEDEN, THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND THE UNITED STATES ARE REPRESENTED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED) (SNI ABSTRACT) --SUMMARIES IN FRENCH AND SPANISH