The existing prison system must be reformed. While each State is constitutionally responsible for its own penal system, reforms should be made on a national basis. To develop support for correctional reforms, the public must be informed about the severity of prison overcrowding and the efficacy of alternatives (work orders, fines, etc.). This demand for alternatives is based on economic as well as humanitarian grounds, since the public cannot afford the extravagance of large numbers of prisons. The problem in devising alternatives is to gain public and political acceptance of measures which will operate as a deterrent and be recognized as such. Imprisonment as a sanction should only be used as a punishment of the last resort. A total of 18 case notes are cited.