A DISTINCTION IS MADE BETWEEN PENITENTIARY LAW AND PENITENTIARY SCIENCE: THE FORMER IS DEFINED AS THE BODY OF LEGAL STANDARDS RELATED TO THE TREATMENT OF SENTENCED PERSONS, WHILE THE LATTER IS THE BROADER STUDY OF PUNISHMENT AS IT PERTAINS TO THE TREATMENT OF OFFENDERS. A COMPARATIVE METHOD IS USED TO EXAMINE THE LEGAL PROBLEMS OF PENITENTIARIES; IT IS DEMONSTRATED THAT THE RESOCIALIZATION AND TREATMENT OF SENTENCED OFFENDERS HAS AN INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION AND THAT COLLABORATION OF ALL NATIONS IN THIS AREA CAN AID IN PERFECTING THE WORLDWIDE PENAL SYSTEM. THE MAIN FOCUS IS ON THE FRENCH SYSTEM, WITH CONSIDERATION ALSO GIVEN TO POLAND, GREAT BRITIAN, ITALY, BELGIUM, SWITZERLAND, THE U.S.S.R., BULGARIA, HUNGARY, AND THE SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES. SECTIONS COVER: PENAL SANCTIONS; NATIONS OF PENITENTIARY SCIENCE; THE EXECUTION OF PENAL SANCTIONS; THE EVOLUTION OF PENITENTIARY SYSTEMS; THE ORGANIZATION OF PENITENTIARY ESTABLISHMENTS; THE PRISON WORLD; PENITENTIARY TREATMENT; TREATMENT IN OPEN AND CLOSED ENVIRONMENTS; AND JUDICIAL CONTROL OF THE EXECUTION OF SENTENCES. --IN FRENCH.