ABSTRACT
Certain forces shape the nature of a given society, in«uencing the philosophy and policies which that society embraces. This paper identi¡es and examines the forces that have shaped two very different societies-those of Denmark and Brazil. Further, it provides a descriptive analysis of the organization of prisons and the treatment of offenders in each of these societies. Because of the signi¡cant differences between these societies, we will focus on contrasts rather than comparisons.
