If penal organizations were mere instruments for obtaining public good, they might respond passively to external changes wrought by a declining economy, but correctional management has been quite sophisticated in the last 10 years. The strength of personnel unions has also added to the complexity of organizational structure. This has equipped the penal system to shape its own domain by raising its own claims about social function which blunt the impact of changes sought by the mandating constituency. Penal domain claims likely to be emphasized under the threats of a declining economy include attempts to professionalize and specialize in meeting basic offender needs. This is unlikely to be sufficient to justify a claim for adequate resources, however, so penal organizations can be expected to expand in areas not directly associated with offender processing. One of these new areas will be an emphasis on the symbolic value of penal organization; for example, claims may be made in the area of general deterrence. Penal organizations are also likely to seek new populations for supervision and may claim expertise in rendering services to persons involved with the offender but who will be seen as more deserving, such as victims and witnesses. A total of 36 notes are listed.