OLDER SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF WHICH VIEWED THE PRISON AS A CLOSED, HOMOGENEOUS SUBCULTURE TO WHICH INMATES HAD TO ACCOMODATE THEMSELVES, ARE CONSIDERED AN OUTDATED DESCRIPTION OF MEN'S PRISONS SINCE THE 1960'S. THE DYNAMICS OF PRISON LIFE IN THE 1960'S INDICATED THAT CHANGES CHARACTERISTIC OF THE GENERAL SOCIETY WERE BEING EXPRESSED IN THE PRISONS. THE PHILOSOPHIES OF THE BLACK CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT WERE PREVALENT IN THE HEAVILY BLACK PRISON POPULATION. PARTICULAR MANIFESTATIONS OF THIS MOVEMENT IN PRISONS ARE DESCRIBED. THESE SOCIETAL CHANGES CALLED FOR A NEW SOCIOLOGICAL MODEL OF PRISON LIFE WHICH WOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE INMATES' REFLECTION IN THEIR OWN ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR OF THE SOCIOECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REALITIES OF THE LARGER SOCIETY. THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE IN PRISONS THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE 1970'S IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE RISE OF PRISONER ORGANIZATIONS HEADED BY RESPECTED PRISON LEADERS ORIENTED TOWARD POLITICAL CAUSES AND PRISONER RIGHTS. DURING THIS PERIOD, PRISON ADMINISTRATIONS IN GENERAL ARE CONSIDERED TO HAVE ACTED REPRESISVELY IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OVER THE PRISON POPULATION. AT THE SAME TIME, DISENCHANTMENT WAS GROWING WITH THE REHABILITATION IDEAL FOR CORRECTIONAL LIFE. AT PRESENT THE PRINCIPAL STRUCTURAL FEATURE IN THE PRISONER SOCIAL WORLD IS BELIEVED TO BE THE CLIQUE - PRISONER GROUPS OR GANGS OF VARYING SIZE FORMED TO ACCOMPLISH GOALS REQUIRING GROUP FORCE SUCH AS MUTUAL PROTECTION FROM OTHER INMATES. IN THIS SYSTEM THERE IS A GENERALLY LOW LEVEL OF TRUST BETWEEN DIFFERENT CLIQUES . ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION AMONG INMATES AND CLIQUES IS A RECENT PHENOMENON IN PRISONS. IT IS NOTED, TOO, THAT THE RANKS OF THE PRISON GUARDS ARE MARKED BY CONFLICT BETWEEN NEWER PERSONNEL, OFTEN FROM URBAN MINORITY GROUPS, AND THE OLDER OFFICERS. REHABILITATION IS BELIEVED ALMOST FORGOTTEN BY ADMINISTRATIONS AS THEY TRY AND DEAL WITH THE CONFLICTS ENGENDERED BY THE MULTIPLICITY OF SELF-INTEREST GROUPS OPERATING WITHIN THE PRISONS. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB) (JAP)