French and Canadian research brings to the fore two sorts of fundamental change in the contemporary prison setting. On the one hand, an opening up and a complexification of the way power operates is occurring, which raises questions about the notion of prison as a total institution. On the other hand, a model emerges that mixes the recognition of rights, a growing sense of responsibility, and appreciation of the needs in light of risk management, which calls for a re-examination of the Foucauldian analysis of prison as a disciplinary institution. In Belgium, the first change comes up against a degradation of the conditions of detention, but the emergence of new problems and the evolution of the process of disaffiliation seem to alter the relationships the detainees have with prison. Regarding the second change, its manifestation remains extremely marginal and the contrasts persist between the total institution and discourses on the rights of detainees.