The progressive periods of American history have been associated with increased concern for the mentally ill offender in the courts as well as for the treatment and rehabilitation of all prison inmates. Conversely, periods of conservatism have been reflected in the courts by withholding the protection of responsibility criteria and by denial that rehabilitation is a rationale for improvement. Although the liberal-reformist movement in corrections has succeeded in implementing most of its ideas and programs, the impulse for reform is exhausted and most of the reformers are disillusioned about the results of their approaches. For the reform impulse to make a difference once again will require fundamental attention to the needs of the lower class groups which are forming the cores of many of the cities. This underclass is new and largely transplanted and does not have the charateristics of previous groups which were assimilated into the total population. The traditional approaches of self-improvement, social reintegration, and psychological intervention are thus futile approaches to future reform. Unless we develop new views, penal reformers are likely to continue to support recommendations for change that are superficial and largely cosmetic. Footnotes are included. (Author summary modified)