Discussion of general crime prevention's main categories covers penal prevention and the effect of deterrence, police prevention, and police-type measures to make crime commission more difficult, socioeconomic prevention through reducing economic injustice, and clinical prevention through detecting potentially dangerous behavior problems. Special crime prevention seeks to improve the detection of crime and identification and processing of criminals. Modern societies, however, seek to rehabilitate rather than merely punish criminals. A social defense policy is recommended and outlined, with the following major goals: protection of society through isolating criminals, resocialization of criminals through humane criminal law, and individualized treatment. Failure of special prevention in the Ivory Coast is ascribed to faults in all parts of the criminal justice system, including a lack of police resources, delays in trials due to overburdened courts, and the failure of prisons to rehabilitate. A discussion of sentencing trends covers characteristics of criminals, types of crimes most commonly committed, the most common types and gravity of sentences, and probation. The article notes a lack of rehabilitation programs in prisons, despite a high rate of prison sentences given, and recommends better planning to make the Ivory Coast's social defense policy adequate. Footnotes and tables are included. For related papers, see NCJ 70605.