THE PAPERS ARE FROM THE PROCEEDINGS OF AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CONVENED IN 1977 BY THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM IN COMMEMORATION OF THE BICENTENARY OF REFORMER JOHN HOWARD'S TREATISE ON THE STATE OF THE PRISONS. THREE OF THE PAPERS ASSUME THAT PRISONS HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN THE FUTURE AND CONCERN THEMSELVES WITH THE NATURE AND CONTENT OF THAT ROLE. TWO OF THESE ENVISION A JUSTICE MODEL FOR PRISONS, LISTING MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR A JUST CORRECTIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND ENUMERATING PRISONERS' RIGHTS. THE THIRD ARGUES AGAINST THE JUSTICE MODEL AND SUPPORTS A TREATMENT (REHABILITATION) MODEL, WITH EMPHASIS ON CLASSIFICATION OF INMATES. ANOTHER PAPER CLAIMS THAT PROFESSIONAL CRIMINOLOGISTS AND PENOLOGISTS HAVE BEEN USED, WITTINGLY OR UNWITTINGLY, TO BOLSTER THE PRISON SYSTEM AND ITS ADMINISTRATORS AND CALLS FOR A STRONG STANCE BY THOSE WHO BELIEVE THE PRISONS SHOULD BE ABOLISHED. THE TWO REMAINING PAPERS CONSIDER THE AIMS OF PUNISHMENT AND DISCUSS POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION AS A MEANS OF SOCIAL CONTROL. THE REVIEWER NOTES THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE JUSTICE MODEL OF CORRECTIONS IS BECOMING THE NEW ORTHODOXY IN PENOLOGY AND CITES EVIDENCE THAT MOVEMENT TOWARD LEGALITY CAN BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN INCREASE IN HARSHNESS OF TREATMENT. (A 1977 STUDY FOUND THAT INCREASED ACCESS TO THE COURTS AND TO LEGAL REPRESENTATION BROUGHT INCREASES IN BOTH NUMBERS OF INMATES AND TIME SPENT IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.) IT IS SUGGESTED ALSO THAT THE BODY OF ETHICAL AND EMPIRICAL ARGUMENT AGAINST THE TREATMENT MODEL IS SO GREAT THAT PLEAS FOR A FEW MORE RESOURCES AND A LITTLE MORE TIME ARE LIKELY TO FALL ON DEAF EARS. THE REVIEWER'S EXPERIENCE WITH OUTCOME PREDICTION DEVICES AND TREATMENT EXPERIMENTS LEADS TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE PROBLEM WITH THE TREATMENT MODEL LIES NOT IN THE CRUDENESS OF INSTRUMENTS BUT RATHER WITHIN THE MODEL'S ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS AND THE NATURE OF EXPERIENCE. THE TWO PAPERS CONCERNED WITH ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF SOCIAL CONTROL ARE OF VALUE BECAUSE THEY CHALLENGE PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS THAT UNDERLIE THE DEBATE OVER THE ROLE OF PRISONS. IT IS POINTED OUT THAT NONE OF THE PAPERS IN THE BICENTENARY VOLUME REALLY SUGGESTS A STRATEGY FOR CHANGING PRISONS. LIKELY BARRIERS TO CHANGE--PUBLIC OPINION, POLITICAL ATTITUDES, PRISON STAFF--ARE NOTED. IT IS POINTED OUT ALSO THAT FEW OF THE PAPERS EVEN MENTION THE INMATES THEMSELVES AND THAT NONE SUGGESTS INMATES AS AGENTS FOR CHANGE. (LKM)