BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE RESEARCH HAS ENORMOUS POTENTIAL, ACCORDING TO WHETHER ITS TECHNIQUES ARE USED TO CONTROL AND REPRESS, TO BRAINWASH AND DEHUMANIZE, OR TO MOTIVATE INDIVIDUALS WITH BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS, SUCH AS CONVICTED OFFENDERS, TO ACHIEVE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL BALANCE AND SOCIAL REINTEGRATION. A HISTORY OF THE FUNCTIONS AND OBJECTIVES OF PENAL SANCTIONS IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES VIEWED FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE RESEARCH INDICATES THAT PUNISHMENT AND RETRIBUTION WERE ALWAYS THE TRUE FOUNDATIONS OF PENOLOGY. THE RECENT FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONCEPT OF THE 'OPEN PRISON,' OR MINIMUM SECURITY CORRECTIONS OFFER THE MOST ENCOURAGING PROSPECTS FOR THE SOCIAL REINTEGRATION OF OFFENDERS BY EMPHASIZING SELF-CONTROL INSTEAD OF THE EXTERNAL CONTROLS OF A REPRESSIVE PRISON ENVIRONMENT. THESE EXTERNAL CONTROLS ARE REPLACED BY THE TEACHING OF POSITIVE VALUES AND OF A SENSE OF PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. COLOMBIA'S CRIMINAL CODE AND ITS CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM ARE THEORETICALLY ORIENTED TOWARD THE GOALS OF OFFENDER REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL REINTEGRATION, BUT THEY SIMULTANEOUSLY STRESS THE CORRECTIONAL FUNCTION OF THE PENAL SYSTEM; THE LATTER IS THE ONLY POLICY WHICH IS CONSISTENTLY IMPLEMENTED IN COLOMBIA'S ANTIQUATED AND OFTEN APPALLINGLY MISMANAGED CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS. COLOMBIA'S PRISONS ARE CONTROLLED BY INMATE LEADERS, POWERFUL UNDERWORLD FIGURES, WHO USE FEAR AND BRUTALITY TO SUBDUE THEIR FELLOW INMATES, AND BRIBERY TO ENSURE THE COMPLICITY OF CORRUPT PRISON GUARDS IN THEIR ILLICIT TRAFFICKING AND EXTORTIONARY SCHEMES. THE INSIGHTS OF BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE RESEARCH INTO THE CURRENT PRISON SITUATION CAN BE OF GREAT HELP IN DEVISING THE BEST TOOLS FOR A DESPERATELY NEEDED CORRECTIONAL REFORM. --IN SPANISH. (LGR)