ATTEMPTS TO ORGANIZE PRISONERS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY COMMONPLACE. IN NUMEROUS STATES THERE EITHER ALREADY ARE PRISONER UNIONS, OR EFFORTS ARE UNDERWAY TO FORM THEM. THUS, PRISON OFFICIALS, JUDGES, AND STATE AGENCIES ARE GOING TO BE CONFRONTED FREQUENTLY WITH THE PROBLEM OF HOW TO DEAL WITH THE PRISONER LABOR UNION. IN RESOLVING THIS PROBLEM, THE DIFFICULTIES OF APPLYING THE LABOR UNION CONCEPT TO THE PRISON, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE NEED FOR A WHOLESALE RESTRUCTURING OF THE PRISON ECONOMIC SYSTEM, SHOULD NOT OVERRIDE THE BENEFITS THAT RECOGNITION WILL BRING TO THE PRISON, THE PRISONER, AND SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.(AUTHOR ABSTRACT)....BDS