The stated functions of correctional institutions are (1) treatment that will prepare the offender to return to the community as a constructive and productive citizen and (2) protection of the public from further criminal attack by those who are unable or unwilling to adopt a socially acceptable way of life. These functions are not being performed or are failing to produce the desired effects for a number of reasons, including lack of a generally accepted and consistently applied corrections policy empirically evaluated and continually revised to improve corrections effectiveness, a dearth of resources for developing rehabilitation programs, and a lack of personnel qualifications and training to prepare for a rehabilitative orientation and implementation in corrections. Other reasons are a corrections bureaucracy oriented toward imprisonment, order, and discipline; and public ignorance about what is possible and desirable in corrections. Some of the major solutions now being proposed to reform corrections are the use of imprisonment as only one of many dispositional alternatives for offenders, with nonsecure community programs to be used more frequently; the diminishment of the punishment emphasis in corrections in favor of the rehabilitative approach; and the provision of more funds for research, program development, and evaluation. In addition, proposals have been suggested for the development of a carefully constructed public education program about corrections, the development of a personnel selection and training program that emphasizes rehabilitation, and greater involvement of the community in corrections. A total of 56 references are provided.