Data were obtained from 177 of the 242 vulnerable prisoners using questionnaires developed from pilot interview data. Measures included the Prison Life Questionnaire; the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire; questions about current work and educational activities, long-term problems, and experience with individual counseling and group work in prisons; and problem checklists based on problem areas most frequently described by the pilot sample. Direct comparisons between prisons which varied in the provision of counseling activities did not reveal major differences in self-reported inmate problems and measures of emotional disturbance and suicide potential. Further analysis, however, appeared to indicate that increasing the level of informal helping behavior reduced emotional problems in relation to prison adjustment. Problems in prison adjustment were frequently reported by inmates. Inmates also reported experiencing severe emotional reactions to problems, but the relationship between level of help-seeking behavior and problem frequency was minimal. The authors conclude that proactive strategies may be required to involve prisoners in counseling and treatment activities and that standardized psychological tests may be useful in predicting future difficulties in the prison environment. 11 references and 3 tables