THE PRISON SYSTEM IS CONSIDERED A REFUTATION OF THE FUNCTIONALIST SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE THAT THE SURVIVAL OF AN ORGANIZATION DEPENDS UPON ITS PERFORMANCE OF NEEDED AND DESIRED FUNCTIONS. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT OUR CONTEMPORARY CORRECTIONAL SYSTEMS REPRESENT SOCIAL REACTIONS BASED TO A GREATER EXTENT ON FRUSTRATION THAN UPON THE PERFORMANCE OF FUNCTIONS THAT ACTUALLY SERVE ANYONE'S SELF-INTEREST. THE PRISON SYSTEM IS PORTRAYED AS A FRAGMENTED ENTITY DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF SUCH THAT EACH SEGMENT NEGATES THE FUNCTIONAL POSSIBILITIES INHERENT IN THE OTHER. THE RESULT IS CALLED A RETROTHESIS WHICH IS A RETROGRESSIVE ACCOMMODATION BY WHICH THE ORGANIZATION INVOLVED FALLS INTO A LESS SATISFACTORY FUNCTIONAL STATE. A SERIES OF SUCH RETROGRESSIONS IS CALLED A PROCESS OF DYSFUNCTIONAL DIALETICS. PROPOSITIONS ABOUT THE DYNAMICS OF PRISON IS COMPLEX SOCIAL SYSTEM FOSTERING DIALECTICAL PROCESSES WHICH ARE ESSENTIALLY DYSFUNCTIONAL. IT IS BELIEVED THAT ONLY WHEN EXTRASYSTEMIC PRESSURES ON THE ORGANIZATION HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY RELIEVED IS IT POSSIBLE TO ESCAPE THE CIRCLE OF DYSFUNCTIONAL DIALECTICS. THE ALTERNATIVES FOR ACCOMPLISHING THIS WITH THE PRISON SYSTEM ARE PERMANENT EXTERNAL CONTROL, ORGANIZATIONAL REVOLUTION, AND ABOLITION OF THE ORGANIZATION. PERMANENT EXTERNAL CONTROL IS CONSIDERED AN IMPROBABLE SOLUTION WHILE ORGANIZATIONAL REVOLUTION AND ABOLITION OF THE ORGANIZATION ARE DISCUSSED AS VIABLE ALTERNATIVES. IN DISCUSSING ORGANIZATIONAL REVOLUTION, A NEW MODEL FOR CORRECTIONS IS PRESENTED. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)