The study correlated the characteristics of these inmates with the number of medical encounters for selected chronic health problems. The dependent variable was total medical encounters. Independent variables were age, sex, length of sentence, and the number of encounters for the following selected medical conditions: non-insulin-dependent diabetes, insulin-dependent diabetes, arteriosclerotic heart disease, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The study used multiple regression analysis for a population mostly white (78.7 percent), predominantly male (93.0 percent), with an average age of 57.12 years. Results revealed increased health care use due to the presence of hypertension (19.2 percent), arteriosclerotic heart disease (5.4 percent), diabetes (3.4 percent), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2.5 percent), length of sentence, and age. Gender and race were not significant predictors of health care use in this population. Tables and 54 references (Author abstract modified)