THE HOWARD LEAGUE, WHICH HAS HAD SOME FORM OF EXISTENCE AS CORRECTIONAL REFORM GROUP IN ENGLAND FOR THE LAST 100 YEARS, HAS SUCCEEDED IN DEVELOPING A WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH APPROPRIATE GOVERNMENT POWER CENTERS TO EFFECT CHANGES IN CORRECTIONS THROUGH THE POLITICAL PROCESS. THE HOWARD LEAGUE OFFERS NO BASIC CHALLENGE TO THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND LEGAL STRUCTURES, BUT WORKS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE EXISTING STRUCTURES AS THEY IMPACT CRIME AND PARTICULARLY OFFENDERS. ON THE OTHER HAND, RAP HAS CAMPAIGNED TO ELIMINATE THE PRISON SYSTEM ENTIRELY BY PROVIDING COMMUNITY PROGRAMS THAT WILL TREAT THOSE CALLED 'CRIMINALS' AS PERSONS WITH PROBLEMS FOR WHICH HELP RATHER THAN PUNISHMENT IS NEEDED. THE LEGAL SYSTEM WHERE PERSONS ARE LABELED AND PUNISHED AS CRIMINALS SHOULD BE ABANDONED, ACCORDING TO RAP. IN GOING BEYOND THE GRADUAL REFORM LIMITS OF THE HOWARD LEAGUE, RAP HAS VIOLATED THE REFORM CONSENSUS CULTIVATED BETWEEN THE HOWARD LEAGUE AND THE MORE PROGRESSIVE GOVERNMENT ELEMENTS. RAP HAS THUS BECOME A DISSIDENT MINORITY WITH LITTLE POWER TO INFLUENCE REFORM THROUGH POLITICAL CHANNELS. RAP CAN CHANGE ITS POSITION OF POWERLESSNESS BY MODIFYING ITS RADICAL FRAMEWORK TO PROVIDE RELEVANT INPUT TO EXISTING REFORM CONSENSUS, AND THEREBY EXERT SOME POWER TO EFFECT CHANGE, ALBEIT BY MEANS OF TRADE-OFFS. A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND AN INDEX ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)