SWEDEN'S INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION AS A LEADER IN PRISON REFORM HAS BEEN ENHANCED BY SWEDISH GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS AND JOURNALISTS' ARTICLES. HOWEVER, SWEDISH INMATES WOULD HARDLY AGREE WITH THE DEPICTION OF THEIR PRISONS AS BEING SIMILAR TO HOTELS. MOST DESCRIPTIONS FAIL TO MENTION THE PSYCHOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF IMPRISONMENT. THEY EMPHASIZE PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES THAT APPLY TO INMATES IN OPEN PRISONS OR ARE AVAILABLE AT ONLY ONE INSTITUTION WITHIN THE PRISON SYSTEM. AS IN THE UNITED STATES, THE GREAT MAJORITY OF CONVICTED PERSONS IN SWEDEN RECEIVE PENALTIES OTHER THAN IMPRISONMENT, INCLUDING FINES, CONDITIONAL SENTENCES, PROBATION, AND INTENSIVE SUPERVISION. AMERICANS SHOULD REGARD THE SWEDISH CORRECTIONS SYSTEM AS THEY WOULD A STATE SYSTEM IN WHICH ALL CONFINEMENT FACILITIES SUCH AS LOCAL JAILS, WORKHOUSES, PRISONS, AND HOSPITALS FOR THE MENTALLY ILL ARE INTEGRATED INTO A SINGLE ORGANIZATION. THERE ARE 49 LOCAL PRISONS IN SWEDEN WHICH SERVE 20 TO 60 INMATES EACH. THE 22 NATIONAL PRISONS HAVE A COMBINED CAPACITY OF 2,791 INMATES. DESPITE RISING CRIME, SWEDEN'S PRISON POPULATION HAS BEEN DECREASING. PENAL PRACTICES DIFFER FROM THOSE OF THE UNITED STATES REGARDING INMATES' RIGHTS TO DISCUSS MUTUAL CONCERNS AND PRIVILEGE ENTITLEMENT. THE RECENT SWEDISH EXPERIMENT AT PRISON DEMOCRACY DID NOT SUCCEED. STUDIES INDICATE THAT RECIDIVISM RATES IN SWEDEN ARE HIGH DESPITE ITS HUMANE TREATMENT OF MANY PRISONERS AND INNOVATIVE METHODS. IN THE FUTURE, PENAL POLICY WILL REFLECT THE TRENDS OF DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION AND DECENTRALIZATION. MEANINGFUL COMPARISONS CAN BE MADE BETWEEN SWEDEN AND A FEW STATES, NOTABLY MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN, BECAUSE OF SIMILAR ETHNIC POPULATION, LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, AND EDUCATIONAL FACTORS. ALTHOUGH SWEDISH REFORMS MAY BE APPROPRIATE IN SUCH STATES, THOSE WITH RACIALLY DIVERSE POPULATIONS AND HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT, SUCH AS CALIFORNIA, WOULD FIND THEM UNACCEPTABLE. FOR THE GREAT MAJORITY OF AMERICAN STATES, SWEDEN'S MIDDLE WAY TO PRISON REFORM IS TOO RADICAL TO BE PERMITTED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. NOTES AND TABULAR INFORMATION ARE INCLUDED IN THE CHAPTER. (LWM)