ALTHOUGH PRISONS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VIOLENT PLACES, MANY EVENTS IN THE PAST DECADE HAVE FOCUSED PUBLIC ATTENTION ON THIS VITAL PROBLEM. FROM MAY 30 TO JUNE 1, 1975 THE CORRECTIONS PROGRAM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT AND THE CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION CO-SPONSORED A CONFERENCE ON PRISON VIOLENCE AT THE NEW ENGLAND CENTER, DURHAM, NEW HAMPSHIRE. THE CONFERENCE WAS CONCERNED WITH BOTH COLLECTIVE AND INDIVIDUAL VIOLENCE BUT PRIMARILY THE LATTER - BETWEEN INMATES AND BETWEEN INMATES AND STAFF. CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED ACADEMICS, CORRECTIONAL OFFICIALS, AND EX-OFFENDERS FROM THROUGHOUT THE NATION. THIS BOOK CONTAINS MANY OF THE PAPERS GIVEN AT THE CONFERENCE AS WELL AS EDITED AND PARAPHRASED VERSIONS OF THE DISCUSSIONS. AMONG THE SPECIFIC TOPICS EXAMINED ARE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON PRISON VIOLENCE, POSSIBLE CAUSES OF VIOLENCE IN PRISONS, AND THE RELATION OF PRISON OPERATIONS TO PRISON VIOLENCE. PAPERS ON THE ECOLOGY OF PRISON VIOLENCE, THE RELATIONSHIP OF POPULATION DENSITY TO DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR IN A PRISON SETTING, AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF PRISON VIOLENCE ARE ALSO INCLUDED. (SNI ABSTRACT)