The participants were all inmates of prisons and jails in New York and were interviewed during 1971-73. The research focused on inmates who had committed acts of self- injury or had attempted suicide. They were compared with a sample of inmates who had not injured themselves. For four inmates who committed suicide, information was gathered shortly after the deaths from correctional personnel and inmates who had known the victims. The results were used to describe three major types of personal breakdowns as they relate to coping and adjusting to the correctional environment, perception of self and relationships with others, and impulse management. The analysis also focused on the differential impact of jail and prison, cultural experience, and sexual socialization on the nature of personal crises. The psychological characteristics of the inmates who committed suicide were also explored. Tables, footnotes, index, and 205 references