Although prison inmates in Canada can choose education as a regular activity during their incarceration, only about 20% of the 9,500 inmates in federal penitentiaries are enrolled in educational programs. This may be due to the variation in the types and quality of programs available; problems of security, transfer policies, variations of protective custody, and rigid daily schedules; and problems of maintaining teaching quality and student motivation. To realize the potential of penitentiary education, a revitalization is necessary, and the community college is the most appropriate institution to become involved. However, certain conditions are recommended: (1) a single college should contract with a particular correctional institution over an extended period; (2) highly skilled, creative teachers with a deep understanding of and interest in prison schools and inmate students should be hired under three-year contracts; (3) colleges should provide academic and vocational assessment, diagnostic and remedial programs, and language and life skills training; (4) colleges should also offer individualized packaged courses, through a variety of media, to inmates who lack access to regular prison education; and (5) colleges should extend their curricula in other dimensions of corrections, such as para-legal studies, law enforcement, and training programs for custodial staff, sheriffs, and probation officers. (AYC)