The career of felons from early environment through crime, prison, and parole is explored from the point of view of felons themselves, a viewpoint seldom considered by "straight" society in which felons must learn to function. Concentrating on obstacles confronting felons in their attempts to re-enter society, the author looks at the sources of a sense of injustice among felons, the subtleties and importance of the parolee-parole agent relationship, and the lack of understanding of the felon's problems on the part of well-intentioned public officials who establish the conditions of a felon's parole. The author contends that the entire correctional system will have to be restructured in order to meet the needs of felons and not solely the demands of society. In emphasizing the felon's career and associated obstacles to re-entering society, the author considers three concepts: perspective, identity, and behavioral system. Perspective refers to a set of subcultural beliefs, values, meanings, and world view. Identity is one's self-conception relative to a particular subcultural perspective. Behavior becomes routinized and patterned over time in relation to perspective and identity. The first stage of a criminal career involves the person's involvement with a criminal behavior system and the acquisition of a criminal perspective and identity. An appendix contains instruments for classifying felons according to criminal behavior and prison-adaptive modes and information on parole conditions. Footnotes and figures