EACH OF AUSTRALIA'S 6 STATES AND THE NORTHERN TERRITORY OPERATES ITS OWN PRISONS AND OTHER CORRECTIONAL SERVICES BUT MUST PROVIDE PRISONS FOR PERSONS SENTENCED UNDER COMMONWEALTH LAW. THE STATES' INDEPENDENCE, THE VAST DISTANCES BETWEEN POPULATION CENTERS, AND AUSTRALIA'S SMALL POPULATION MEANS THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE TREATMENT OF PRISONERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. FOLLOWING A BRIEF REVIEW OF PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD CRIME AND PRISONS, THIS PAPER DESCRIBES TRENDS IN IMPRISONMENT DURING THE 1970'S, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO WIDE VARIATIONS IN IMPRISONMENT RATES AMONG THE STATES AND TERRITORIES, THE DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBERS OF ABORIGINALS IN PRISON, AND RECIDIVISM. SENTENCING PRINCIPLES ARE EXAMINED, AS ARE THE AIMS OF IMPRISONMENT. THE DISCUSSION OF ALTERNATIVES TO IMPRISONMENT BEGINS WITH PROBATION AND PAROLE AND THEN SUMMARIZES THE COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS, SUCH AS PERIODIC DETENTION AND WORK RELEASE, WHICH ARE AVAILABLE IN EACH AUSTRALIAN JURISDICTION. EVALUATIONS OF THE FOLLOWING COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECTS ARE PRESENTED: TASMANIAN WORK ORDER SCHEME, PERIODIC DETENTION IN NEW SOUTH WALES, WESTERN AUSTRALIA WORK RELEASE SURVEY, AND SUSPENDED SENTENCES IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. OTHER TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE CHARACTERISTICS OF LONG-TERM PRISONERS, LIFE SENTENCE PRISONERS, AND PRISON MANAGEMENT PRACTICES WHICH RESULT IN CERTAIN PRISONERS BEING LABELED AS DANGEROUS OR DIFFICULT. AUSTRALIAN COMPLIANCE WITH THE U.N. MINIMUM STANDARD RULES FOR THE TREATMENT OF PRISONERS IS ASSESSED, AND THE RIGHTS OF AUSTRALIAN PRISONERS TO MEDICAL AND PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT ARE OUTLINED. A PRISONER'S RIGHT TO REFUSE TREATMENT AND THE LEGALITY OF BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES ARE ALSO CONSIDERED. THE CONCLUDING SECTION FOCUSES ON FUTURE ISSUES IN CORRECTIONS, INCLUDING JURISDICTIONAL DISPARITIES, LEGAL RIGHTS OF PRISONERS, PRISON WORK, AND THE RIGHTS OF OFFENDERS IN NONINSTITUTIONAL PROGRAMS. MEMBERS OF THE WORKING COMMITTEE WHO PREPARED THE PAPER ARE LISTED, AND OVER 70 REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.