Abstract:In 1981 prisoners'protests occurred in 116 of Poland's 146 prisons, with almost half of the Country's total prison population taking part. The causes, course and consequences of these protests are examined in this article, which identifies four distinct phases, culminating in the riots of the (phase of hopelessness'. As a result of the protests a number of improvements were made to prisoners' living conditions and legal status, as well as some alleviation of prison discipline and the extension of conditional release. Many of these reforms were brought to an end when martial law was introduced in December 1981.The Polish prison system is in urgent need of further reform if it is to avoid another wave of protests and a deepening of the crisis in its penal institutions.